WoE (Abandoned)
by Death546
Summary: Dead story
1. Introduction and App

Amanda Waller stalked down the hallways of the Pentagon. Determination was etched into her face, her blue pantsuit creaseless.

The doors approached fast, and soon enough she was walking down an aisle to a podium. The muttering stopped as she entered the room, and she reached the podium, turning to face her fellow board members and the President. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Amanda Waller, Director of Cadmus. And I am here to propose a program that can save us from global domination."

"Haven't we made any headway on locating the Justice League?" Someone asked, angry.

"The League left a few weeks ago on a mission to another world, they did not notify anyone of their destination." Waller answered, finishing setting up her notes. "We have to assume the worst and take action."

"They didn't leave anyone behind? The Martian? Wonder Woman? The Flash?"

"Batman stayed behind, but he has his hands full in Gotham City. They have their own band of psychopaths that he's trying to contain." Waller explained. "There are also the non-founding Leaguers, like Green Arrow, Hawk and Dove, Captain Atom, Supergirl, and all the rest, but they are also disappearing. Black Canary was reported missing just two days ago, the Question disappeared five days ago, and many others with them."

This brought on further chatter, and the President held up a hand. "Ms. Waller, continue."

"Thank you Mr. President." Waller pressed a button, and seven profiles appeared on the screen behind you. "Ladies and gentleman, I propose… Task Force X."

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 **Here are the rules:**

 **1\. It's DC, a lot goes on in this universe. So you have a lot of creative room for your hero. But please try to keep it relatively consistent with canon.**

 **2\. No Mary Sues or Gary Sues. I'm not looking for another Superman.**

 **3\. They can have had past interactions with canon superheroes, but again, please try to keep it close to canon.**

 **4\. Be descriptive. Now I personally put a crap ton of thought into my OCs, and I don't expect you to put nearly as much info as I did. The bio alone on here took up nearly two pages. But even so I want a good idea of who your hero is.**

 **5\. Submit the OCs through PM. Nuff said.**

 **6\. Hide your favorite song somewhere in your app so I know you read the rules.**

 **HERO APP:**

 **BASIC INFO:**

Real Name: Christian Blood.

Age: 40

Sexuality: Straight

Relationships: He has never considered relationships to be worth his time. But it could be he just hasn't met the right person.

What do they value most: Justice (Loyalty, Kindness, Intelligence, Bravery, Justice)

Bio: (This is where I want great detail, along with personality.) His mother, Christina Blood, was a mob boss, leader of a drug cartel in Mexico. She had immense influence, wealth, and power. She took many lovers, so his real father is unknown. So Christina's personal bodyguard, named Pitbull by herself, became a father figure for him. Christina disappeared for nine months when she realized she was pregnant, not wanting anyone to know, viewing it as a weakness. Pitbull led her organization through her orders during that time. Once Christian was born, she immediately returned to her position. She never let anyone know Christian was her son, Pitbull was the only one who knew. As he grew up, whenever they were in public he would refer to her as Miss Blood, and she took him on as a ward, intending to shape him into a man who could inherit her fortune. She was a decent mother, if distant and cold. But Christian saw first hand why she was at the top. She would personally execute her enemies, often in violent ways. She truly lived up to the name of Blood. Pitbull, though he always did as she said, was at his core soft. He took care of the boy most of the time, personally overseeing his education and upbringing.

By ten, he was carrying out his mother's orders. He quickly took to stealth, and was nearly as gifted at infiltration as the professionals she hired. He would spy on her enemies, and steal items of importance for her. Then one day, she called him into her office. She had the son of an enemy bound and gagged on the floor. Feeling it was time to test his loyalty, she handed him her gun and ordered him to shoot the man.

Christian wanted to please his mother above all else, but as he pressed the barrel against the terrified man's head, he found he couldn't pull the trigger. His mother attacked him in fury at being disobeyed, and left a knife mark against her son's chest.

After cleaning the wound, Pitbull became worried enough for the child's safety that he went to the police and gave them Christina's location. When police stormed her base of operations, Christian was with her. Christina tried fleeing with him, but when Pitbull tried taking him from her, she realized he was the rat. In a rage, she drew her knife and slashed his throat, his blood splattering across Christian. In horror, all the crime he had witnessed over the course of his twelve years of life hit him. He saw how evil and corrupt the world was. And when his mother tried taking him before the police found them, he took her knife and killed her. The police found him sobbing over her corpse.

He spent the next three and a half years in an orphanage, receiving extensive therapy. He had become reclusive, refusing to interact with anyone, almost never speaking. Instead he turned to books, escaping reality. He also started doing something he'd never done, praying. Praying for his life to get better. He liked the way it felt, connecting with something bigger than him, and he became very spiritual. He got ahold of a Bible, and after reading it all he became even more infatuated with his faith. Especially exciting to him were the Angels. Holy protecters, heroes in his eyes. He became fascinated with history as well, and he finally decided that he wasn't getting anywhere where he was. He wanted to see the world. He wasn't allowed to leave, and who would take in a child with his past? He ran away on his sixteenth birthday in the dead of night.

He had knowledge of how the life in the underworld went, growing up as he did. He knew the right places to go, who to talk to. He evaded police searches for two years, living in the slums of Mexico City until he was 18. He had built a small but fair life for himself, working for an independent detective agency under an alias as an intern. The detective he worked for taught him his ways, the way criminals thought, psychology, and how to build the mind of a detective. All the while he attended a church, his faith always growing.

Then he was discovered. One of the police who had found him when he was twelve came into the agency and recognized him. He fled, running blindly through the streets. He turned down an alley way, and ran straight into a group of thugs. He was wearing his backpack, and they surrounded him, aiming to take it from him, laughing. One of them ripped off the silver cross necklace he wore, and rage overcame him, and he attacked. He stole a knife from one of them, and proceeded to kill three of them before the last two ran off. As he stood in the alley, blood soaked with the thugs dead in front of him, his cross clutched in his hand, the revelation from his childhood returned to him. The world was corrupt, weight with evil. And it was too much for a group with such restrictions as the police. He knew about the law, and how many got off on technicalities. The system was broken.

So many people had fallen so far from the grace of God, and this was four people he had murdered now. He had fallen too. He realized, he could put his talents to use. He knew how to fight, he knew how to find criminals. He would purge the world of those who would do evil unto others. And he would do so under the Angel who personally delivered the evil to their damnation. He would take on the image of Death.

He left the city, and took what little money he had and vowed to spend the rest of his life fighting. He travelled to Asia, and spent eight years learning a series of martial arts modeled for lethality, meant to kill. He trained in weaponry, focusing on mastering fighting with a staff. He changed the fighting, however, to accommodate for a blade on the staff. He learned to wield a scythe.

At 26, he traveled to the Middle East. He spent four years there in Israel, training his mind, and growing his connection to his faith. Along with that he took on the Pakistani martial art of Krav Maga.

At 30, he returned to Mexico with nothing in him besides his crucifix, his bible, and a scythe had made himself. He got ahold of a black motorcycle, and set out on his crusade. He created a black costume, a tunic with a hood, getting ahold of a small wrist mounted crossbow. He had taken chemistry as a child, and made acid that he called his "holy water" and kept it in vials. He felt ready to start his crusade.

He targeted the man who had taken over his mother's cartel, and tracked him to a warehouse. He snuck inside, killing the guards. He found his target, and proceeded to impale him with the scythe. He dipped his fingers in the blood, and scrawled a verse over the corpse on the wall. He failed to notice the guards sneak into the room, and open fire on him. He fell dead, and his vision went black.

He felt as if he didn't exist, floating in a void. Then a light reached his eyes, and a cloaked figure approached him. Death had come for him. But rather than take his soul, Death spoke to him. He told Christian that he had promise, and that he was doing noble work. He took the crucifix and scythe, and placed an enchantment on both. He returned the items to Christian, and as a final gift summoned a ghostly crow, Dust. He linked their minds, and told Christian to continue his crusade. He returned Christian's soul to a healed body, his new tools on the ground in front of him. From then on he only improved. His body count has reached the hundreds in the past decade, as he travels the world, purging evil under the alias of The Reaper.

Personality: Christian is cold, calculating, and very slow to trust. He distances himself, wanting to avoid getting too close to someone. But beneath his icy exterior is an empathetic heart. Despite his brutality, he cares deeply for his fellow man, and truly only wishes to keep the innocent safe. And he'll do anything it takes to accomplish that goal. He has a great mind, the mind of a master detective. And he uses his intellect as a tool in his crusade, solving crimes quickly and killing the suspect before they're apprehended by authorities.

 **APPEARANCE:**

Hair: Raven black, short. Unkempt.

Facial Hair: Goatee

Eyes: Dark green.

Skin Tone: Tan

Ethnicity: Latino

Nationality: Mexico

Physique: Lean but muscular

Height: 6'10"

Headwear: None

Upper Body: Black leather jacket, Black T-Shirt with Death on the front. Silver crucifix on a necklace

Lower Body: Black jeans with chains

Hands: Black fingerless gloves

Feet: Black combat boots

Scars/Tattoos/Piercings: Long scar trailing across his chest, tattoo of a fiery skull on his right shoulder, dual crossing scythes on his left shoulder.

 **COSTUME:**

You can describe your costume however you want, just be descriptive..

Head: Black tattered hood. The sides are ragged, worn and torn. When he has it up, it throws his entire face into a void-like shadow. The bottom of the cowl covers his upper chest and goes across his upper back.

Torso: A black tattered tunic that goes over a black bodysuit that covers his whole body. The tunic starts at his neck, covers his torso, and the bottom splits at his waist and goes around the back and hangs down to the back of his knees. A black leather strap goes across his torso and around his back, a wrap for his scythe on his back, and has a satchel on the bottom. A silver crucifix hangs around his neck from a necklace.

Shoulders: Small black leather pauldrons that connect to his scythe strap.

Arms: Black bracers that cover his lower arm, and leather strips that hang from his pauldrons to cover his upper arm. His right bracer has a holder that he can snap his compact crossbow into.

Hands: Black leather gloves with grips on the palm and fingers.

Belt: Black leather belt with a silver buckle. It has a case of small crossbow bolts on the left side, and a pouch on the right holding his holy water in holders. Next to the bolt case are vials containing various poisons.

Legs: Greaves covering his shin, with black knee guards.

Feet: Black combat boots that go under his greaves, the bottoms are lined with a special material to muffle his footsteps.

 **SUPERHERO INFO:**

Code Name: The Reaper

Nicknames: (optional) The Unholy Avenger

Personal Theme Song(s): (You can have two) "Innocence" and "Vengeful One" both by Disturbed

Disguised Voice: Deep, harsh, and gravelly, with a rasp. The sound seems to emanate from around him rather than come from his mouth directly, making him seem ethereal.

Type of Heroism: Vigilante (Vigilante or In good with the authorities?)

Methods: (How do they do what they do?) He is a wanted serial killer. He selects high priority targets, stalks them, and then kills them before scrawling a Bible verse in their blood over their body. His kills are usually brutal, whether he impales them, decapitates them, disembowels them, dismembers them, or pours acid over them, it almost always involves heavy blood flow. Though occasionally if the target is always surrounded by protection, he will rely on killing them discreetly: using his crossbow or poison, or using acid to make heavy objects corrode and fall on them. And if it's a mob boss, he uses his magic and combat skills to kill the henchmen or goons as well.

Powers: (Maximum of 10. Be reasonable, and be descriptive. Give power name, then description.)

1\. Shadow travel: He becomes a shadow, and can travel almost instantaneously to a new area. Uses it in combat for teleportation, and traversing high areas.

2\. Hellfire: His scythe can manipulate fire, allowing him to summon and throw it, or simply engulf his blade in flames for added damage. He can control the fire he summons, making it spread or retract.

3\. Harvester: He can manipulate his scythe, throwing it like a boomerang and guiding it to targets, and having it return to him.

4\. Holy Light: His crucifix can emit light as he wishes, providing sight in darkness or using it as a weapon, blinding enemies.

5\. Dark Flight: He can summon black angel wings created from darkness, and use them for short flight.

6\. Angelic Foresight: His crucifix is linked to his mind, and can warn him of danger. If he is walking into a trap it will tell him. If he is about to be shot, it will tell him. It allows him to predict his opponent's moves.

7\. Angel Blood: His cross provides a healing property. He can heal from most wounds, but anything that can instantly kill such as major damage to the head, or piercing the heart is too severe for him to heal from.

8\. Dust: He can summon a large crow, named Dust, to do his bidding. Dust cannot be killed, as he is ethereal. He can track The Reaper's targets, provide him with an eye in the sky (letting the Reaper look through his own eyes) follow fleeing enemies, or attack anyone he says to. The Reaper and Dust are telepathically linked, and overtime The Reaper has seen Dust as not just a bird, but a friend. He is the only one the Reaper shows true affection for, and vice versa. Dust is all black, except for his eyes, which are a ghostly green.

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Weapons and gear: His scythe is his main weapon. It was a gift from the Angel of Death himself, and is enchanted to bend to his will and manipulate fire. The handle is six feet long, black. The top has a dark skull with it's jaw open, angry eyes. The silver blade comes out of the jaw, and is two and a half feet in length. It has two sharp curves on the top for ripping, a smooth edge on the bottom, and a blood groove running through the middle. The blade is indestructible, never dulling. And it glows with a faint green light.

He has a small crossbow that he can mount on his right arm, and a pack of bolts on his belt, along with vials of poison to dip the tips into. He keeps it in his satchel, along with smoke grenades and a ceremonial demonic dagger made for sacrifices. He has a pouch of vials full of "holy water" which is a highly corrosive acid he uses to go through walls, or in combat. The vials are made from a highly durable glass, so he must throw the vials with enough force to shatter them. The rest of his belt has an array of throwing knives.

His crucifix was also given to him by Azrael, and is enchanted with many abilities. It can provide bright holy light, allow him to travel using the shadows, and summon his own wings. It also can be used as a warning device, warning him of imminent danger.

Strengths:

Christian travelled the world to study multiple forms of deadly martial arts, and has managed to master Silat, Kung Fu, Muay Thai, Krav Maga, and the custom Marine Corps hand to hand combat known as MCMAP, along with several other arts. All of which are designed to either kill or severely injure the enemy. He has successfully turned his body into a lethal weapon.

He has a brilliant mind of a detective. He has studied the criminal mind, psychology, and law, allowing him the ability to find enough evidence to prove the guilt or innocence of a suspect. Due to his past in the mob, he has first hand understanding of how the criminal underworld works, and uses this knowledge to find his victims faster. Then, if guilty, he kills them.

While he is trained to use all his tools, his experience with them does not even come close to matching his mastery of the scythe. He can swing the heavy weapon around as if it were a lightweight baton, unleashing brutal yet precise flurries and swipes with the blade. He uses it both for offense and defense, using it to block blows and using the blade to shield himself from projectiles. Combined with his shadow travel, it is nearly impossible to hit him due to his agility with the scythe.

He has an extensive knowledge of history, and a deep knowledge of Christianity. He has memorized the entire Bible, front to back.

Weaknesses: (At least two)

Despite his abilities, he doesn't actually have any powers himself. His crucifix and scythe provide all his magical power, and if they were to be taken away, he'd have no powers.

He is obsessed with his faith. He has memorized he Bible, and is compulsed to pray before every battle, and he feels the need to scrawl a verse in blood over the bodies of his victims. It reaches the point of OCD, and if he doesn't follow his rituals he becomes agitated.

Likes: Religion, Dust, cheeseburgers, reading. He likes listening to music, and is favorite band is Disturbed. And his favorite song by them is "Vengeful One."

Dislikes: Corruption, Evil, being interrupted

Views on Killing Criminals/Villains: He believes the evil of the world must be purged, and he is the Angel of Death that has come to do just that. He aims to kill his targets, without remorse.

EXTRA INFO:

Also, if you want them to be introduced a certain way, tell me.


	2. The Recruits

Thank you to everyone who sent in the OCs. And to those whose OCs were rejected, I do hope you'll still read.

Full cast list:

Reaper by Death546

Gunslinger by Death546

Poltergeist by stormrunner74

Ricochet by stormrunner74

Dark Swan by Hawk-eye-33

Venus by Red Blooded Being

Majutsu by 0B13

Wolfssenger 0B13

The Whispering Shadow by white wolf124

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"Task force X?" asked a board member. "As in Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, and so on?"

"They're no longer under our control." Waller responded. "No, these are new recruits I have in mind. And unlike last time, we've steered away from hardcore criminals. For the most part. And to detain these recruits, I propose we send our finest soldier."

The doors opened again, and a pair of footsteps echoed throughout the room. A tall soldier walked in, grey camouflage covered by black tactical gear, and an armored silver helmet covering his head. It was smooth and form fitting, a pair of glowing blue eyes glaring out. Robotic breathing hit their ears as he stood at attention in front of Waller. "Gunslinger. Reporting for duty." He stated, his voice robotic and monotonous.

Waller smirked. "Gunslinger is one of the most lethal assassins in our government, and a highly effective soldier. I propose we give him full…"

She was met with muttering throughout the room, when the president stood up. "Silence. Let Ms. Waller finish before we discuss."

"Thank you, Mr. President." She pressed a button, and a security camera photo filled the screen. It was of a figure clad in black with a hood hiding his face. "This man, who we believe to be the man Christian Blood, is also known as "The Reaper." Known and wanted serial killer, he targets 'the bad guys'. He stalks them, murders them in brutal fashion, and leaves their bodies for authorities to find. Almost always with a Bible verse scrawled in blood over them. His identity is officially uncertain, as he has never been caught, but we believe he is the man who disappeared over twenty years ago, Christian Blood, 40, son of mob boss Christina Blood."

"Are you insane? You want to leave the fate of the world in the hands of…" started an angry board member.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to finish my presentation." Waller interrupted, irritated. "As I was saying, Christian, a.k.a 'The Reaper' is wanted worldwide for his murders. However, due to his specific kind of victims, he's gained decent sized public support internationally. One of the few times he was nearly captured a mob distracted the authorities in Italy while he escaped. Due to this, Cadmus doesn't necessarily classify him as a villain. At least not on the same level as the ones who are assuming control. On top of that, he refuses to kill the innocent." She smirked. "So Gunslinger." She said, directing her attention to the soldier in front of her. "If you can manage to trap him, there's no fear of death." She turned back to the board. "As far as abilities, he is extremely powerful. Setting aside the fact that he has the mind of a professional detective, he has both 'demonic and angelic' abilities. He wields a scythe, has an enchanted cross around his neck that provides him with numerous abilities, teleportation and warning him of danger among them. He can manipulate fire, and he has claimed that he has the angel of death at his back."

"So he's a psychopath." Someone said.

"A high functioning psychopath. He is considered very dangerous, and we believe he would be a great asset to the team." She answered. She pressed a button, and The Reaper was replaced by what appeared to be a furry teenager. A charcoal mullet ran down his neck, ending at his shoulders, and pointy ears stuck out of the side of his head. Sharp teeth were bared, and his brown eyes were full of primal rage. "Drake Embers, a.k.a Wolfssenger. Though he is only eighteen, he's not to be trifled with. Enhanced strength, stamina, speed, reflexes, senses, and an animalistic fighting style. He's only a small time criminal, but he's also been called a hero. He travels the U.S., staying in cities. He'll occasionally save people from muggings, or more serious assaults, but he's also prone to stealing from the homes of those he saves, along with taking any valuables on the criminal. Taking him will be difficult, it is nearly impossible to sneak up on him due to his advanced hearing, sight, and smell."

The President cleared his throat. "Ms. Waller, so far you have proposed we place the fate of the world in the hands of a psychotic serial killer and a barely mature thief. I hope this isn't the best you have to offer, otherwise we will have to consider other alternatives."

"Mr. President, you have to consider their abilities. Their criminal past won't be an issue if we can get them under our control. All we will have will be the benefits of having these metahumans on our side." Waller defended.

The President sighed. "Very well, continue please."

"Thank you." Wolfssenger was replaced with another mug shot of a man with dirty blonde hair in a crew cut. His pale green eyes were emotionless and stark against his tanned skin. A metal band was attached tightly around his forehead, and his arms were restrained in high tech looking cuffs. "Joshua Jones, 24, a.k.a. Poltergeist. A freak accident six years ago granted him unique abilities, allowing him to control the very particles of his body. He has been working as a vigilante, hunting down the criminal organization Hive, but breaking several laws in the process. The Flash caught him three months ago and he is currently contained in a special cell In Central City. His abilities are potentially endless, the possibilities of the application of his powers only guesswork. But he has demonstrated abilities of telekinesis, passing through solid matter as if it was just air, teleportation, even demonstrating invisibility on a few occasions." She gazed out at the board members, expecting another comment. But they seemed impressed by this one. A smile of satisfaction came over her face as Gunslinger and the board watched the screen in anticipation.

She clicked the button again, and the mug shot was replaced by a grainy but clear enough to see a woman jumping across a rooftop, Green Arrow and Black Canary by her side. Her black trench coat was rimmed with red, matching the domino mask on her face. A twin pair of pistols was in each hand. "Mackenzie Murray, 35, a.k.a. Ricochet. Daughter of a suspected associate of the League of Assassins, she left her father and joined Green Arrow and Black Canary as a sidekick of sorts. About five years ago, while stopping a bank robbery, she shot and killed one of the robbers after he managed to wound Green Arrow. She went into early retirement after that, and has been trying to live below radar. She is an expert marksman, rivaling Deadshot. She uses shurikens, pistols, almost anything that can bounce off of walls to perform complicated and unpredictable attacks. She has performed unbelievable shots, using the walls and floors and ceilings around her at all times to ricochet her projectiles. Along with that, she was born with a latent metahuman gene that activated when she was young. She now has an extreme healing factor, allowing her to heal from any wound, potentially fatal or not. So Gunslinger, you are free to use lethal force to bring her in. She can take the punishment."

"Understood, ma'am." Gunslinger replied shortly. "And the others?"

Another click, another photo. This one was of a woman shaking hands with the Prime Minister of Japan. Her ebony hair was neatly straight, going all the way down to her waist. Blood red eyes stared out, a small smile on her face. A white sleeveless dress reached down to her knees, meeting knee high armored boots. "Hinoka Sibonso, 20, a.k.a. Majutsu. She is a well known and well liked heroine in Japan, and claims to be connected to the Shinto God Izanagi. She channels divine energy into powerful magical attacks, and is an expert martial artist. Force should not be required, and is advised against, to bring her in. Approach her with respect and request her cooperation."

"If she's friends with the Prime Minister, can we not simply request her assistance?" Someone asked.

"We've tried. With everything going on, the Japanese government doesn't want one of their best leaving. We believe the best course of action would be to contact her directly." Waller replied.

She switched to the next profile. A woman was smirking at the camera in a courthouse, her long, silky brown hair falling over her shoulder onto her black dress, the long sleeved arms crossed and a gold diamond necklace hanging from her neck. But most striking were her eyes. Almond and violet, they were striking against her creamy skin, almost hypnotizing. "Sabina Ambrosia, 30, suspected mob boss. Nothing has been pinned on her, most of the time she gets off on technicalities or suspected bribery. But her alter ego is suspected to be Venus, head of a mob family and known for her hypnotic stare. Venus has also demonstrated multiple psychic abilities, including creating illusions to fool investigators and police, and mind reading. But she has also demonstrated a sense of honor, she uses her gang as a sort of vigilante service. They target corrupted officials and dirty men, and it's rumored that if their crimes are severe enough she has her lackeys bring them to her so she can kill them personally. It is speculated that she has the Grecian police in her pocket."

"Another criminal." Came a grumble. Waller ignored them, moving on to the next profile. It was a security camera shot of a woman in a skin tight black bodysuit, chains around the waist and boots. She clutched a silver dagger in her right hand, and a shining red ruby ring was on her left hand. A black mask covered her green eyes, and her black hair hung past her shoulders. "Ashlynn Connors, 27, a.k.a. Dark Swan. An assassin of sorts, she favors a stealthy approach, killing criminals from the shadows. Similar to the Reaper, but she's not as brutal and works faster, wanting to get the job done and move on. She has demonstrated magical abilities as well, cloaking herself in darkness and summoning a pair of black wings among them."

She closed the screen, and pulled out a radio. "Send her in." The board looked confused, and Waller looked back at them. "And last but not least, Alessandra Raven, 19, a.k.a. Whispering Shadow."

A girl walked into the room, marching in a dignified manner. She had long blonde hair pulled back to show her blue eyes in her black mask. A black hoodie with the hood pulled down covered her torso, and a tool belt with a pistol and ammunition hung from her waist, black leggings covering her legs. Black combat boots covered her feet, and her arms were shiny from a row on each arm of armored bands. Her hands were covered by black leather gloves, and she seemed shy but determined. "Alessandra was in a Russian experimentation facility, and is the product of an experiment to grant her the ability to shift her form. She can take on the appearance of others, and can even transform into animals. She was captured in an American raid, and was granted a pardon to her crimes during her time as a Russian soldier in exchange for working for us."

Alessandra resisted averting her gaze as the entire room stared at her. She felt a nudge in her side, and glanced up to see the glowing blue eyes of Gunslinger's helmet staring down at her. "Relax." He muttered. "Just a few more minutes and we can leave."

She smiled and nodding, exhaling and standing at attention. Waller smiled t her, and looked at the board. "So, are you ready to save the world?"

Chatter filled the room as they discussed the proposal. Gunslinger looked at Waller, and she gave him a slight nod, then a smile as some of the previous objectors started angrily raising their voices. Soon enough the President stood up, looking Waller dead in the eye. "Amanda Waller. You have permission to set Operation X in motion. You will have full access to our resources, and are permitted authority over the team." He narrowed his eyes. "Do not make us regret this decision."

Waller smirked. "I won't." She said simply. She looked down at Gunslinger and Whispering Shadow. "You have your orders. I want each of them brought in alive."

"Understood." Gunslinger replied, taking Shadow by the shoulder and leading her out.

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The hangar buzzed with excitement as Gunslinger prepared his chopper. He loaded up his weapons, looking up as Jaguar was rolled into the back of a drop ship. He finished up, placing the weapons in the chopper. He turned as Alessandra approached him. "So what do I do while you round up these people?"

"Help Waller prepare for when we get all of them. We need to get to work as soon as possible." He replied, the electronic voice monotonous. "I want everything done when I get back. Understood?"

"Roger that." She replied, giving a teasing salute. The helmet blocked his face but she could tell she had drawn a smile out of him, hearing a robotic chuckle as he climbed in the chopper, the blades starting up. The roaring soon became overbearing as he took off, and she turned to head back inside the facility. She had work to do.

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So this was just an introductory chapter. I'll write in the captures of all the heroes in the next chapters. Each character will get their own introduction. Review!


	3. The Ghost

Hero in this chapter is Poltergeist. Next will be Majutsu.

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Dull, grey steel. That's all he saw. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Joshua Jones sighed, glaring out of the thick glass of his cell at the guard. The jackass wasn't even watching him, he was eating a donut and looking at a magazine with skimpy women inside.

He shifted uncomfortably in his bed. He could understand the point of the headband neutralizing his powers, but were the cuffs really necessary? There was a kinetic field lining the walls, he couldn't do anything if he wanted. He grumbled, turning to face the wall.

The lunch bell sounded, and he groaned. A knock on his glass. "Wake up, ghost boy. Lunch time."

"I'm not hungry, piss off." He shot back, scowling.

An indignant scoff reached his ears. "Fine. Starve yourself. What do I care?" A cackle and heavy footsteps as the fatass waddled away.

He softened his eyes. Flash put him in here three months ago, but it felt like it had been three years. He didn't blame the hero, he was just doing his job. Just like Poltergeist was doing his. Hive was within his grasp, or at least it had been. And he hadn't exactly been a law abiding citizen in his quest. But that didn't alleviate the irritation and frustration at his current predicament.

He turned back over in his bed to look over at the cell across from his. As usual, Slade was working out. He scowled. He had five guards staring at his cell, guns trembling. And why not? Everyone knew the danger Deathstroke posed. He had only been here a week, and Josh knew it was only a matter of time before he got out. He only hoped that when he did he could escape in the commotion as well. Mirror Master, Captain Boomerang, and Captain Cold had all already escaped, so Deathstroke was his only hope.

He closed his eyes after Slade shot him a look, smirking as Josh turned back to face the wall. _Jerk…_

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Why was the alarm sounding? Josh yawned, stretching as far as he could and opening his eyes. The lights were red, the alarm blaring. He shot up as guards ran outside his cell, and he looked outside to see the inmates battling the guards. He grinned. A prison riot, jackpot.

The familiar humming of the kinetic shield was gone, and Josh ran to the glass. He banged on the glass as a particularly beefy inmate passed his cell. The guy turned to him, grinning and picking up a chair and smashing the glass. The shards bit his skin, but it didn't matter. Once he got the band off, it would all be okay. "Thank you! Listen, I need you to…"

"Hey, you're lucky I smashed you out of there. Every man for himself." The guy interrupted, turning to run down the hall.

Josh bit his lip. "I need this band off! And I'm rich! One million if you get this thing off of me!"

That stopped him in his tracks. He turned to glare at Josh. "You stick with me through this, and we go out my way. And if you're lying, I'll pound you into a bloody pulp."

"Deal!" Josh shouted, glancing behind him. Guards were shouting, heavy footsteps approaching. "Hurry!"

The man walked back over, toying with the locking mechanism before finally ripping the thing in half. Josh whooped in joy, sliding through the cuffs with ease. The man grabbed his shoulder roughly. "With me, squirt. Now."

Josh turned to him, a dark smirk on his face as the guards rounded the corner. "Dumbass." He chuckled, throwing out his hands.

The man levitated into the air, panic and fury in his face as Josh threw him at the guards. He knocked some over the railing, and the man rose in anger as the guards groaned. "You son of a bitch! I'll rip you into pieces!"

"You're welcome to try." Josh retorted, smirking. "Later!" He dropped through the floor, the man's jaw dropping as he disappeared.

The level below, Josh fell out of the ceiling, landing on his feet. Inmates surrounded him, but he walked through them as if the room was empty. He whistled to himself, bullets flying through his body as he made his way to the exit. Shouting gave way to screams of terror, and Josh turned to see that Deathstroke had found his weapons. His sword flashed, crimson following it as he shot and stabbed the guards. He felt a pang of guilt, and he thrust out his hand. Deathstroke went flying into the wall, grunting in surprise as he was suddenly tossed by an invisible force. He chuckled to himself as he took off down the halls. He was reaching the side exit, and the fight was getting further behind him. He ran through the door, and sweet sunlight hit his eyes. He couldn't help but laugh as freedom came to him. He even twirled around in a taunt as he stuck his tongue out at the prison. He started running for the walls, all he had to do was get through them and he was home free.

His bliss was short lived as he was knocked off his feet. He looked around in confusion. The only thing that could hit him was…

Blue eyes came into his vision. A robot stood over him, a high tech looking gun in his hands. "You're coming with me, Poltergeist."

Josh narrowed his eyes. "Like hell I am." He growled. He kicked out at the man, who simply evaded and shot him again. Josh cried out in pain as light flashed from the gun. As he thought, it was a concentrated kinetic beam. He tried throwing the man back, but the man braced himself against the force and shot at Josh's hand. The bullet tore apart his skin, and he cried out in pain as the skin started to reform. "So." came the robotic voice. "You can heal. I figured as much."

Josh only growled in response, standing up and getting into a battle stance. The robot did the same, then whipped out an SMG, firing a quick burst of fire.

Josh threw out his hand, and the bullets slammed into an invisible barrier. Josh grinned. "Kinetic barrier. Your bullets are useless."

"Is _this_?" he asked, pressing a button on his gauntlet. Josh raised an eyebrow, then cried out in pain as he was ran over. He slammed into the dirt as the car ran over him, and he shakily got to his knees to see the shining silver car next his attacker. A turret popped out of the side, firing at him. Josh threw up his shield, gritting his teeth as it was pelted with fire.

He realized too late it was a diversion as the robot ran to his side and fired the beam again, knocking Josh to the dirt. He threw up his arms as the robot ran towards him, letting out a kinetic blast. The thing went flying back, slamming into the wall. The kinetic beam fell out of his hands, and Josh made a beeline for it. The car roared to life, speeding in front of him to block his progress. Josh smirked, simply running through it. He extended his hand, pulling the beam towards him. It flew into his hand, and he went to smash it over his knee. Then a stabbing pain shot up his side, and he turned to see the blue eyes glaring at him. The thing had stuck a knife in his side, and then pressed a button on the handle.

Josh screamed as an electrical current ran through his body, making him drop the weapon and fall to the ground in pain. The thing picked up the beam, blasting him again before reaching behind him.

Josh took the brief opportunity to teleport a few feet away, giving his body time to replicate the lost flesh before standing up, ready to fight again. He growled. "Go to hell, Terminator."

"I'm not a robot." He replied, firing the beam again. Josh evaded again, running for the wall. The beam crossed his path, and he slowed to a stop as the man slammed into him.

Josh teleported away, snarling at the emotionless faceplate of the soldier. "Then who the hell are you?"

"The guy you owe your freedom to." He replied, stalking towards Josh.

He raised an eyebrow, inching towards the wall. "Eh?"

"Who do you think released the prisoners?" the man explained. "Not to worry, now that you've been detained there are military personnel inside rounding everyone up. They never had a chance of escape."

Josh had stopped, dumbfounded. "All this just to spring me? Why?"

"The officials weren't cooperating, they wouldn't turn you over to us, so we had to resort to more… violent ways to get to you." The man explained.

Josh's jaw was hanging, then he hissed as he felt a force tighten around him. Two soldiers had snuck up behind him, and were keeping beams trained on him, another barrier keeping him in place. The man walked up, and one of the soldiers spoke up. "Gunslinger, sir. Where do we put him?"

A chopper roared above them, and Gunslinger raised his voice over the roaring. "There's a special cell in the back, throw him in there." He pulled out a metal band, and Josh groaned as it was clamped around his head. Freedom was right there, and now he was in the exact same situation, just in different hands. He cursed as he was thrown in his new cell, kicking the wall in anger.

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	4. The Enchantress

Hero in this chapter is Majutsu. Next will be Wolfssenger.

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Alessandra stared in awe at the stalls around her. Japan was… dirtier than she expected. She scratched at her arms, nervous. She gulped, pulling out her radio. "Dan?"

A robotic voice came on over the radio. "I told you, when we communicate with the radios, call me Gunslinger."

"Sorry." She apologized, smiling and holding up a hand as a rack of watches was shoved in her face. "I arrived at Japan, now how do I find this girl?"

"Majutsu is a public figure, but she's not contacted directly. She's said that she is attuned to some aura crap, all I know is that she shows up whenever there's trouble." Gunslinger answered.

She grimaced as a vendor offered her a bowl of crickets. "So… what? I make a scene?"

"No. Ask around, I'm sure you'll figure it out." He answered.

"Why aren't you here? I thought Waller appointed you to round up these people." She asked bitterly.

"The dangerous ones. Reaper, Poltergeist, Ricochet, Wolfssenger, they're all loose cannons. No way to tell what will happen. Majutsu has to be approached with respect, invited to join us. And we can't force her to join us. So I'm more use getting the others." He explained. It was hard to tell but his voice softened. "Look, I'm sure you'll do fine. You've had much more dangerous missions."

"Yeah, but they usually involve assassinations." She muttered, looking around for anyone with a sign of authority. "I'm not good with people."

"You're a hell of a lot better than I am. Look, I need to go. We've tracked down Wolfssenger, I'm going in. Good luck."

"You t-" the radio switched off, signaling his silence. She sighed, hooking the radio back onto her belt next to her gun. She spotted the top of what looked like a police officer's hat, and she sighed in relief. She started walking towards him, but when she reached him an explosion erupted in the shop behind her. Screaming arose all around her, and she barely saw the yellowed eyes of a monster through the crowd of terrified citizens. And everyone was screaming the same word: "Akuma!" A demon.

She fought her way through, and finally cleared the mob. Her jaw dropped as she stared into the slitted eyes. The beast had a horrific grin, it's skin grey and the teeth daggers. Horns grew from behind its pointed ears, and black fur lined its body, which branched off into four spider-like bladed legs. It screeched, swiping at her. She barely jumped back in time, the bladed foot missing her stomach by an inch. She gritted her teeth, and she closed her eyes and let herself change.

Orange fur with black stripes grew from her skin, her eyes turning to that of a cat's. Fangs grew, claws extended, and she was down on all fours after a few seconds, a snarling tiger in her place.

The akuma was unimpressed. It simply continued to grin, slashing wildly at her. She paled as it impaled three citizens with its legs. She felt fury course through her veins, and she charged at the beast. She clawed it's eye, dodging another swipe and evading its legs. She leapt over it, changing her arms back to grab her pistol and fire three shots into its back. The creature howled, and by the time she had landed her gun was back in its clip and her arm had returned to the powerful claw. She snarled, and the akuma screeched back. She evaded a leg stabbing into the ground, and she transformed back into a human. She landed, and her arms sprouted feathers, elongating until she had the arms of a bird. She flew into the air, dodging frantic swipes until she had a clear shot. She returned her arms to normal, drawing twin daggers and landing on the beast's back, and jamming the blades where she guessed its spinal cord to be.

Then she was thrown off, the best shrugging off her attack as if it were nothing. It seemed to laugh at her, mocking her as it raised a leg for the killing blow.

"AGIDYNE!" Came a powerful voice. A fireball shot over Shadow's head and slammed into the akuma, its shrieks tuned out by an explosion as it combusted into flames. A swirl of white flew over Shadow as she stared in awe from the ground. A girl with bright red eyes and armored white boots in a long white dress was battling the monster, gracefully dancing between its legs and casting fireballs. "Bufudyne!"

Ice began to materialize around the akuma, encasing it. It struggling, cracking the ice. It would be free in a matter of seconds.

That was all the time Shadow needed. She drew her pistol, aiming and unloading the entire round into the head of the beast. It groaned, and she dashed forward, transforming her hand into a claw and drawing a deep gash across its head. It screamed, boiling black blood gushing from the wound, and a white boot sailed into its face, caving it in. The fur began to fall, and the skin disintegrated. Shadow watched in disgust as the creature dissolved, the ice encasing it leaving a hollow husk.

She sighed, turning to make eye contact with the woman. "Majutsu, I presume?"

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All was serene on Mount Fuji. The stark white snow was untouched, save for the shrine. Grass was miraculously growing there, along with other plant life. Fauna grazed and wandered the area, birds sitting atop the meditating statue of Izanagi.

A swirling blue vortex appeared in a mirror inside, and Majutsu stepped out of it, pulling Shadow by the hand with her. Shadow's eyes lit up at the sight of the now curious animals, a grin covering her face. "Is this Mount Fuji?"

"It is." Majutsu replied, sitting cross-legged on a mat. Her voice was smooth and silky, yet disciplined at the same time. It offered hospitality yet demanded respect. "Would you like some tea?"

She was about to decline when she remembered Gunslinger's advice. Be respectful. _Don't piss her off. We need her on this team if we can get her._ She smiled. "I'd love some."

Majutsu nodded, and immediately a pot appeared in front of them, two cups with it. She gestured to the mat, and Shadow sat down on her knees., taking the offered cup as Majustu poured. "Tell me, American. What brings you here?" Her eyes were straight and curious, her face unreadable as she awaited an answer.

Shadow sipped at the bland drink, working not to cringe. "Ahem… I come with an invitation, Lady Majustu."

"An invitation?" The lady mused, drinking from her cup. She made no sound as she drank, and Shadow was embarrassed by the slurping sound she made in comparison.

She politely set the cup down in front of her, it was time to get to business. "Yes. I represent the American government. An organization called Cadmus is working to fight back against the recent threat of global chaos. I'm sure you're aware that in the absence of the Justice League, many of the world's villains have begun to collectively attack the planet at various and seemingly random locations."

"I have." She responded, setting her now empty cup down on the mat. "It is most disturbing. Before, I focused on protecting the people from the various akumas that have sprouted up in Japan. But I have had to divide my attention to other evils. There is a man attacking the coasts with armies of sea people."

"Well, Cadmus wishes to gather the best to do what must be done." Shadow replied. "And they, we, want you to join us. We attempted to contact you through the Prime Minister, but he is reluctant to let you go."

This seemed to take her by surprise. "The Minister… did not inform me of this." She said. Her red eyes fell to the mat in thought. "I cannot blame him, however. The need for my help has only increased in recent times. I am afraid that I may be unable to accept…"

"You have too!" Shadow blurted out, taking them both by surprise. _Damnit._ "I mean, with all due respect, your abilities would be vital to the team. And I won't lie, we'll be forcing known criminals to join. I's like very much for at least one friendly face there." She admitted. "Please, think about it! What if you could end not only Japan's, but the entire world's problems?"

Majutsu, to her surprise, smiled, and even let out a giggle. "Your passion and loyalty is admirable. "Her smile grew. "I don't believe ending all problems is an achievable goal… but this is a noble cause." She stood up, extending her hand to an ecstatic Shadow. "Very well. I accept your invitation. I will inform the Minister of my departure, and I will arrive to America as soon as I can."

"Thank you so much." Shadow said, breathing a sigh of relief as she shook the lady's hand. "The world thanks you as well."

Majutsu smiled. "May I say, your Japanese is incredible. I expected I would need to speak English in our conversation, but your fluency is astounding."

Shadow smiled, blushing at the compliment. "In my line of work, it helps to know multiple languages." She admitted. "I have to return to the States, but here is a number to contact Cadmus when you are ready." She said, handing a white card to the lady.

Majutsu bowed, Shadow doing the same. "Honor to you, Whispering Shadow. I thank you for your invitation, I will see you soon."

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	5. The Beast

Hero in this chapter is Wolfssenger. Next will be Dark Swan.

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California had taken a turn for the worst recently. Evidence of this was in the gunshots and screams that were all too common nowadays. Drake blamed the lazy cops and recent events. The world had gotten so used to the heroes taking care of everything, the law enforcement had grown sloppy.

At this very moment he was watching a firefight unfold in front of a grocery store. He watched with passive interest, dodging to the side as a stray bullet flew too close. He scratched the fur behind his ear, picking at his fang with his claw.

"Officer down, Officer down!" He heard, followed by laughing on the thugs' side. Drake narrowed his eyes. He had no love for the cops here, but he wasn't fond of the gangs either. He sighed, sitting up and moving to the center of the roof. He bent his legs, then started bounding towards the edge. At the last moment he leapt off, flying to the roof on the other side of the street. He hadn't been spotted, and he dropped into the alley next to the store. He tried the side door, finding it was unlocked.

He crept through the aisles, gunfire ringing in his ears. He spotted one of the thugs near the back with a sniper rifle. He snarled, leaping out and tackling the man. He didn't have time to scream as Wolfssenger slammed his head against the wall, knocking him out cold. He glanced towards the front of the store, he still hadn't been seen. He sniffed at the air… all clear to the register. He scampered across the floor to the counter, grinning as he reached up and pulled at the drawer. It flew open, coins spilling everywhere. Not that it mattered, it was the cash he was after. He pulled out a stack of ones, fives, some tens, three twenties, a fifty, jackpot! A hundred dollar bill!

He chuckled to himself as he stuffed the bill in his pocket, creeping back the aisle he came from. Now that he got the money, time to take care of the would be robbers. He placed his hands against the wall, kicking his feet up to press against the shelves. He pushed, and with ease started the domino effect. The thugs never knew what was coming, they barely could glance back to see the merchandise falling before they were trapped underneath the heavy metal. _Wolfssenger strikes again._ He mused to himself.

He ran out the back, sniffing at the air. Three officers coming from the left, five from the right. One was climbing onto the roof. That was his best bet.

He leapt up to the roof just as the eight on the ground came around the corners, shouting for him to stop. He made it up, tackling the surprised officer to the ground and knocking them out. He took her gun, peeking over the side of the building and firing at the tires of the police cruisers. He saw with satisfaction the vehicles tilt to the side as they were deflated, and took off, jumping from roof to roof. He had lost them in no time, and jumped down to a dark alley. He sat on the ground, pulling out his winnings and counting. Three hundred and seventeen dollars. Not a bad reward for stopping a robbery. He set three hundred aside to go towards his rent, and looked at the seventeen bucks in newfound bitterness. Who was he kidding, this was a horrible haul. He should have gone after the safe in the back instead of taking down the thugs. He cursed, burying his face into his palm.

He growled as he felt a drip on his head, then another, and another until it was full on raining. He sat in the waterfall for a moment before standing up and shaking his body, water flying off of his fur and his jet black hoodie. He pulled up the hood, his black ears pointing out of the sides as he ran for shelter.

He reached the end of the alley, when suddenly a silver car with a blue trim sped in front of him, stopping abruptly. He whistled, getting a good look at it. It was high tech, unlike anything he'd ever seen. It was nearly all silver save for a few decorative bright blue stripes curving around the exterior in a neat trim. The head lights were covered by a blue glass, and he could see retractable panels that most likely concealed weapons. The windshield was a dark blue, probably one way glass as Drake couldn't see anything beyond it. The wheels didn't appear to be attached to the vehicle, instead they appeared to be orbs sitting freely, connected by energy to the slots for the wheels. That would give him full mobility, Drake noted.

The side door slid open, leading to a comfy looking leather inside. "Get in." Came a robotic voice.

Drake froze. "Is… is that the car talking? Are you a robot car? Because that's freakin awesome if…"

The driver door slid open as well, revealing the glaring military man inside. "Get in, Wolfssenger. You're needed."

Wolfssenger narrowed his eyes. "Watch it, stranger. Don't underestimate me."

"That goes both ways. I won't ask again." The man warned.

Wolfssenger smirked. "You didn't say please." He growled, preparing to run in the opposite direction.

Quicker than a bolt of lightning, the man whipped out a strange looking gun. He pulled the trigger, and an earsplitting blast of sound erupted from it. Drake cried out in pain, clutching his ears. His advanced hearing amplified the screech of the weapon, and all he could do was writhe on the ground.

"Figured you'd put up more of a fight. Maybe you're not qualified after all." The stranger taunted, pulling out a pair of heavy looking cuffs.

Wolfssenger gritted his teeth. "Fuck… off..." he growled, kicking out. His boot connected with the stranger's fist, knocking the weapon away and cutting off the sound. He roared, tackling the man as he reached for another gun and taking off down the road. His ears pricked at the sound of the car roaring to life, but it was duller than it should be. He cursed, his ears were ringing. He couldn't accurately judge the car's distance this way.

Speak of the devil, the car sped in front of him, cutting him off. A riot gun came out of the side, firing a stream of rubber bullets at him. He took a sharp turn, heading into an alley and climbing up the wall. He reached the roof, laughing as he ran across the roof. He heard roaring, and turned to see a chopper speeding towards him. He paled, his jaw dropping. Who were these guys?

He leapt off the roof, landing on the street below and taking off running again. He slipped and slid in the fresh puddles, slowing his progress. He sighed, kicking off his shoes and going down on all fours. He was going faster now, his claws adding traction on the slick roads. The car rounded a corner, speeding towards him. He listened to its approach, judging the right time. When it was nearly on him, he back flipped onto the hood, digging his claws into the glass and scratching the windshield. After a few seconds of claws against glass, he had cut gashes all across the windshield, cutting off visibility. "Drive with that, jackass!" he taunted, jumping off and running towards an alley. The car slid to a stop, and the man jumped out, running after him. Wolfssenger pricked his ears as he spoke, "Tango in retreat, Gunslinger in pursuit. Watch me, Firehawk."

Wolfssenger's mind raced. Clearly these people were military, so what could they possibly want with him. His eyes widened. Could they have taken an interest in his condition? Were they going to dissect him? He bared his teeth. Whatever they wanted, they'd have to kill him to capture him.

He heard a bang, and turned to see Gunslinger speeding towards him on a grapnel. He got out to the street on the other side of the alley, Gunslinger landing right behind him. Wolfssenger turned around, clawing at his face. The soldier blocked his strike, sending a forceful punch into Drake's gut. He gasped as the wind was knocked out of him, wildly clawing at the helmet. All it did was leave minor scrapes on his gauntlets as he blocked every strike aimed at him, sending in his own strikes.

Drake went for a change of tactics, going for his feet. He bared his teeth, clamping his jaw around his attacker's calf. Gunslinger hissed in pain, grabbing him by the ears and yanking him off, his knee connecting to Drake's jaw. Drake howled, going for another bite at his arm. He tore the camouflage, the thick material tearing away in his teeth as blood dripped from the new wound in Gunslinger's forearm. As the soldier reflexively grasped his arm, Wolfssenger went in for the kill, pure animalistic rage coursing through him now. He lunged for Gunslinger's throat, meeting his fist instead. He cried out as he felt his front teeth chip from the contact, and gasped as he was picked up and thrown through a shop window. Glass bit his skin, and he groaned as he struggled to stand up. Gunslinger tackled him, knocking him back down and pinning him to the cold tile. Heavy breathing came from them both, Wolfssenger nearing unconsciousness. He felt his arms slide into cuffs, and he decided to just let sleep take him as he was dragged to the chopper.

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	6. The Bird

Hero in this chapter is Dark Swan. Next will be Venus. And Happy Birthday to Hawk-eye-33!

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Oswald Cobblepot grinned as he counted out the cash, running his finger along the top of the bills. He chewed on his cigar as he pocketed the money, looking over his operation. He scowled as a girl tripped as she was shoved into the backseat of a limo. "Keep them moving, lads! We have to make this quick."

"Yessir!" His goons replied, forcefully grabbing the women and shoving them towards the various cars. Soft sobs echoed throughout the dark warehouse, and Penguin scowled, looking out over the warehouse. The building was huge, and had been recently foreclosed. The perfect place to run his ring. The remote location by the docks, the storage containers scattered across the concrete floor the perfect place to hide the drugs. Leaving Gotham to come to Bludhaven was the best decision he'd made in a while. "You know the drill, boys. Get the ladies to the street corners, and have them back here in four hours. Cash only, we have a tight schedule to keep."

Outside the dark warehouse, Dark Swan scowled through the upper floor window. She'd spent a week tracking Cobblepot, and now it had paid off. She took a deep breath, drawing her dagger from the sheath on her belt. Her black bodysuit began to shimmer, cloaking her in the darkness. The chains around her waist clinked as she moved through the window, silently moving along the upper walkway, surveying the scene. The girls were dressed in their usual skimpy outfits and messily applied mascara, their tears running the makeup. The men were either moving the girls into cars, preparing to take them out to the night's work, or moving bags of drugs from the shipping containers into briefcases. The Penguin had himself quite the operation running. She located a ladder, silently sliding down it. She moved to the guard in front of her, placing a hand over his mouth as she slid her dagger between his shoulder blades. He struggled for a few seconds before going limp, and she effortlessly dragged his body to a hiding place, going for the next guard. She ran in front of him, slashing his throat and grabbing his body as he struggled to get more than a gurgle out, placing him next to the other fallen guard. She spotted a sniper on the upper level that she'd missed, and she ran her finger over the ruby on her ring, whispering "Zenoth." She watched as a hooded figure materialized behind the sniper, waving his hand over the guard's head. She could see from here the man's eyes go wide, as he calmly set his rifle down and walked to the ladder she had slid down in a zombie like shuffle. He climbed down, and Swan dashed forward to thrust her dagger into his heart before he was noticed. That was three men dead now, and she did a quick head count. Thirty seven men, not including the two men in each of the seven cars. So fifty one total. She frowned. Add the three she had killed, that would be fifty four. But she was positive there were supposed to be sixty men…

She gasped as she saw the answer to the problem. A figure dashed behind another guard, and she could see the dark blue bird across his chest. On the other side of the room, a fur cloak and a purple mask flashed as another guard was taken down. She grinned, she wouldn't be fighting alone tonight.

Up from his vantage point, The Penguin frowned. He couldn't be sure, but he had a feeling his numbers had decreased. He hissed as he saw that the sniper was gone. "Boys! We have company!"

"Damn right you do." Came a voice behind him, and Penguin whipped around to see Nightwing smirking at him. "Gotta hand it to you, Cobblepot. You're an evasive birdy."

Penguin scowled, grabbing his umbrella. "Stuff it, bird boy!" He taunted, pulling the trigger on the handle. Bullets flew from the tip of his umbrella, and Nightwing somersaulted over his head, landing on the floor below. Guns clicked, and he was quickly surrounded. The smirk didn't leave his face as Huntress dashed in from the shadows, taking down four men with her cross bow. Guns turned to her, and an excited goon opened fire, leading the others to follow suit. Nightwing drew a trio of birdarangs, throwing them with expert precision and knocking the guns out of a trio of guards. He drew his baton, zapping a goon with the taser and whacking another over the head, dodging gunfire and taking down guards.

Huntress shot her cross bow and fended off her own attackers, all while Cobblepot spat and berated his men. "Kill them! Kill them you bloody incompetent fools! What the hell am I payin' ya for?!"

A guard managed to grab Huntress, putting her in a headlock. She gritted her teeth, preparing to throw the man over his shoulders when he went limp. She looked back in surprise as a black-clad woman withdrew her dagger, casting the body to the side and helping her up. "And here I was thinking I would have to take on Cobblepot on my own." She said in a soft voice, smiling.

Huntress grinned, drawing her crossbow. "Whoever you are, the help is much appreciated." She said, bringing the bow up and shooting behind the lady, burying a bolt in the chest of a goon.

"Call me Swan." She replied, running behind Huntress to stab another goon.

Cobblepot groaned, running his hand down his face as his men were taken down one by one. Then he grinned as reinforcements ran in from outside. "Kill them! Do it now before they ruin everything!"

Nightwing scowled as they were quickly surrounded, gunfire surrounding them. "Get behind that container!" he shouted, rolling behind cover as bullets slammed into the ground where had been half a second ago.

Swan and Huntress joined them, and they ducked behind the metal container as it was pelted with fire, Penguin shouting at them to mind the drugs in the container. Nightwing turned to look at Swan. "Who's she?"

"A friend." She replied. "I'm Dark Swan."

"Saved my ass out there too." Huntress commented, flashing Swan a grin. "Girl can fight."

"Well, unless she can teleport us out of here I think we're a bit screwed." Nightwing replied bitterly, peeking out from behind cover.

Then an explosion blasted the wall near them apart, and their jaws dropped as a silver and blue car roared through the opening. A turret popped out of the side as the goons tried unsuccessfully to penetrate the car's armor with their weapons. Crimson painted the floor as the car mowed down the horde of goons, the turret firing in short bursts and killing any goons stupid enough to not run.

The Penguin paled as the door opened, and a man in grey camo and a silver helmet with glaring blue eyes hopped out. He turned to run as he drew a pistol, then cried out as the man fired a single shot, precisely shooting Cobblepot in the leg. He cursed as he fell down, and he paled further as a grapnel attached to the railing next to him, Nightwing pulling himself up and putting Penguin in cuffs. "Not bloody fair!" he whined as he was hoisted to his feet, groaning as he was forced to put weight on his injured leg. "Where the hell did you get a damn tank?!"

"I'm wondering that myself." Nightwing replied, taking him down to the lower level and restraining him as Swan and Huntress helped the women out of the cars. Nightwing walked up to the mysterious man, who was typing something into his gauntlet. "Thanks for the help." He greeted. "Mind if I ask who you are?"

"Gunslinger." He responded, finishing whatever he was doing. "The police have been informed of the location and situation, they'll be here soon to take Cobblepot."

Nightwing smiled. "Saves me the trouble of hauling him to jail myself." He glanced at the warehouse, and his smile fell. "You know killing them wasn't necessary. This looks like a massacre."

Dark Swan wandered over, offering her hand to Gunslinger. "Thanks for saving our asses back there."

The glaring blue eyes turned to look at her. "Don't thank me yet." He muttered, grabbing her arm and pressing a button on his gauntlet. Swan screamed as electricity arced through her, and she fell to the ground limp.

Nightwing drew his baton in anger, then halted as the barrel of a pistol pressed against his head. "She's wanted by the US government." Gunslinger said shortly. "I'd advise against interfering, Nightwing."

He scowled. "She just helped us save these women and put an end to Penguin's operation, and you're arresting her?!"

"Something like that." Gunslinger answered, picking up the unconscious Swan and tossing her in the back seat. He raised his gauntlet to his mouth piece. "Tango retrieved. Prepare for travel to Greece, Firehawk."

Huntress ran up in anger as Nightwing reluctantly rehooked his baton to his belt. "You're letting him take her?"

He nodded as the car made a 360, speeding back out of the building the way it came. "We have other problems right now, we still need to find Question."

Huntress huffed in anger in response, turning to head back outside, Nightwing staring after where the car had left for a moment before following.

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	7. The Crime Boss

Hero in this chapter is Venus. Next will be Ricochet.

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 _Where am I? Why am I hurting?_ He thought. Everything was black, and he couldn't move his hands. Suddenly the black gave way to blinding light as the sack was ripped from his head. Marcus gasped for air as his eyes adjusted to the light. Soon the blurriness faded and a room came into his view.

It had a fancy office look to it, the wall paper was red with a gold design travelling across it. There was a leather couch along the right wall, a television hung on the left along with portraits of old mob bosses. Marcus recognized the looming figure of Gregory Ambrosia, the now retired infamous gangster in the largest portrait along the back wall. In the center of the room sat a heavy mahogany desk, a computer along the edge and various papers scattered across it. A bust of Aphrodite sat on the corner of the desk, pale and majestic. Another smaller picture of Gregory sat next to the computer, and a wine glass next to the papers. His eyes fell to the golden pistol lying next to the glass, and that's when he noticed the nameplate on the front of the desk. Sabina Ambrosia. Oh shit…

He strained his neck to look behind him to see a pair of stoic guards on either side of the heavy wooden door. One a man, the other a woman, both in black suits and guns at their hips. He shifted uncomfortably as he tried to remember what happened, and he groaned as he felt his bruises scrape against each other. His cheek was wet and hot, and he felt a cut along it. He must be bleeding. "H-hey…" he croaked, his voice scratchy and hoarse. "Wh-where am I?"

"Lady Sabina will be with you shortly." The man replied harshly."

Marcus paled significantly at that. "What?! N-no, there must be a mistake!"

"No mistake." Came a sultry voice as the door opened. A woman stepped in, her dark hair hanging to her waist in a single long braid. Her creamy skin was flawless and was a stark contrast to her long sleeved black dress. It was shining and smooth, creaseless, hanging to her feet where black stilettoes clicked against the hard wood floor until reaching the red velvet carpet around the desk, and the neckline went pat her breasts in a V. Despite his fear of the situation he was in, Marcus suddenly felt calm, entranced by her beauty. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of black shades, an intricate gold design along the sides. She removed a hand from her hip to slowly take these off, her violet eyes fluttering as she folded the shades neatly and placed them in the pocket of her male guard. She slowly walked in front of Marcus, and he caught the scent of her perfume, an incredible mix of roses and honey. He couldn't help but lean towards her as she passed, his jaw falling open. "Marcus Wight, correct?" she asked, turning towards him and leaning against her desk, her black lips turning up in a small smile.

He nodded slowly. "L-lady Ambrosia…"

"Shhh." She whispered. "I'll do the talking for now. You will speak when permitted. Understood?" he nodded again. "Good boy. Now, I'm afraid some dreadful news has reached me, Marcus. You see, it would seem that _you_ have been talking to Giovanni, my brother…"

"No ma'am! I would never betray you…"

"I said silence!" She hissed, her violet eyes flashing with anger, effectively silencing him. Her snarl returned to the sultry smile and seductive eyes. "As I was saying, Giovanni recently had his men intercept a shipment of mine. Vey top secret, only I and my inner circle knew. Of course, so did the grunts transporting the goods. And unless I'm mistaken, you, Mr. Wight, were one of said grunts."

Marcus gulped, sweat making his shirt stick to his skin.

"And then, insult to injury, Giovanni had his men sell the goods to _children_." She hissed on that last word, the anger creeping back into her voice. "That's the problem with men like my brother. Honor is becoming a rarity in our underworld. Deception, betrayal, taking advantage of kids… all that is becoming far too common. And I'm sure you're aware, Mr. Wight, that I take after my grandfather. I _do not_ take kindly to betrayal." Marcus's eyes darted back and forth, wanting to defend himself but terrified to speak. "Now, what do you say in your defense?"

"Miss Ambrosia, I would _never_ betray you!" He blurted out. "I…" a hard steely look came over her face as he spoke, and he stopped short. "I-I mean…"

A fuzzy feeling came over him as her violet eyes bore into him, and suddenly he felt like he was free falling, as if he was no longer under control. "Marcus, I will ask you once more. Have you been talking to my brother?"

He swayed, in a trance. "I have." He mumbled. "He offered me twenty thousand to be a mole…"

"And how long has this little deal been going on?" she asked, leaning forward as her eyes flashed.

"Three months." He answered. "I also helped him in the shooting of your club a month ago."

Her lips curled into a sneer. "Well, that's very disappointing." She growled. She reached her hand over her desk, grasping the golden gun and walking over to him. "Anything else you'd like to confess?"

Even in his trance his eyes widened as the gun was raised. "H-he has a warehouse… Along Leof Posidonos… Warehouse 4…"

She pressed the barrel against his forehead and pulled the trigger, the female guard squatting down to catch his body before it hit the ground, pressing a towel against the wound to reduce the mess. "Where shall I take him M'Lady?"

"Wrap his body in the traditional manner, and send him to my brother." She said coldly. Her eyes softened. "Send someone to give the news to his family."

"Yes ma'am." She replied, picking up the corpse and carrying him out. The male guard looked to Sabina for orders, and she held up a finger, taking out her cell phone. She dialed a number, holding it up to her ear. "I want Warehouse 4 along Leof Posidonos destroyed. No need to kill the men inside, just make sure the building is obliterated and the goods inside destroyed. I want it done immediately." She listened for a moment. "Yes, go ahead. Have a good day." She ended the call, placing the phone back in her purse and holding out her hand, in which her guard placed her shades. She replaced them over her eyes, walking out of the office. "Have a cleanup crew stop by, I want that blood gone in an hour."

"Yes ma'am." He replied, texting a message to the clean up crew before following his mistress down the hall. "Ma'am, I received a message during your meeting with Wight. There's a man here to see you, an American. He was armed."

She raised an eyebrow. "Take me to him."

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Sabine walked outside into the lot, where a dozen guards had weapons trained on the visitor. He had his hands in the air, on his knees, and his head was hidden by a silver helmet with glowing blue eyes. Sabine took notice of the grey camouflage suit and the tactical gear. He had a pair of silver gauntlets, the left with a holographic pad on it. His guns had been confiscated, placed on a table outside of the circle of guards. Sabine walked to the edge of the circle, sizing up her visitor. "Who are you, and why are you here?"

"My call sign is Gunslinger." He responded in an electronic monotone. "I am here on behalf of the American government. You are to come with me for a top secret assignment. You have one chance to come quietly."

Sabine's eyebrows raised, and she smirked as her men and women chuckled, aiming their weapons. "You are in no position to make demands. Now I will give you one chance to _leave_ quietly before I order my people to kill you."

"Suit yourself." He replied, discreetly pressing a button on his gauntlet as the people around him laughed again, the simultaneous clicks of their guns surrounding him.

When he made no move to leave, she sighed. "Very well. Kill him." She replied, turning to head back inside.

Rapid gunfire hit her ears, and she turned to see her people hitting the ground, blood flying. A car roared in, a turret sticking out of the side. It retracted as the remainder of her men scattered for cover, and she ducked behind a crate as the man ran for the table, grabbing his guns. She snarled, drawing her own gilded gun and aiming at the attacker. He dodged her fire, aiming at her and firing. She flinched as the bullet went inside the barrel of her own gun to her shock, rendering it useless. She stared at it in shock before tossing it to the side. She furrowed her brow in thought as her people exchanged fire with the man. He wanted her alive, so obviously she was in no danger of dying. Knowing that, she called out to her men to cease fire. They complied, ducking down as she vaulted over the side, stalking over to the man as he got out from behind cover. He started towards her, and her eyes flashed as she waved her hand.

Gunslinger's eyes went wide behind his helmet as she seemed to split into three separate people, remembering Waller's warning of her power of illusions. He grit his teeth, drawing his knife. He swung a fist at the first Sabina to approach him, who in turn dodged and jabbed at his ribs. A solid connection, this must be the real one. He ignored the second one, focusing on the one that hit him. A mistake, he grunted as the second woman rammed her knee into his gut. He fell to his knees, and the third woman's foot connected with the chin of his helmet.

He coughed as he lay on the ground. "How…" he muttered, getting back to his feet. Two of them were illusions, but they all hit like they were real. At least it felt real.

He scowled as the guards laughed as Sabina and her illusions simultaneously kicked him again, knocking him into the side of the Jaguar. He stood back up, getting into a battle stance. Another one came at him, and he dodged her swing, jabbing her ribs and quickly following up with a strike between her shoulder blades. She cried out, going down, and Gunslinger grabbed her by the braid and threw her at the second woman. The two fell down to the ground, and for a split second, they both shimmered. They were both illusions. Gunslinger grinned, drawing his pistol and placing a bullet in each illusions head, drawing a shocked gasp from the real Sabina. He charged forward, tackling her into a crate, splintering it. She growled, getting a foot between them and kicking him off of her. Her eyes flashed again, and time seemed to speed up to Gunslinger. While he seemed to move in slow motion, Sabina suddenly flashed towards him, faster than he could react. She threw rapid punches at him as she slowed his reaction time, beating him down.

He decided on a change of tactics, ignoring her punches and grabbing for his knife. He grasped the handle, activating the taser in the blade and pressing the flat of the blade against her side. She hissed at the pain, abruptly ending her manipulation of his senses. He took advantage of the break, throwing a quick trio of punches to her chest and kicking her to the ground, standing at his full height and kicking her in the gut.

She coughed up blood, turning to glare at him, her eyes flashing again. He jumped back as she suddenly appeared to morph into a grotesque monster, her face splitting apart to reveal tentacles and glaring red eyes. Her fingernails in real life extended to her hidden blades she hid in her nails, but to him it appeared that the monster grew foot long claws.

He scowled at the monster, chanting in his mind, _It's just an illusion. She's still human. It's just an illusion. She's still human._

He roared, charging at the beast. She expertly blocked is blows, scratching at him with her bladed nails. She tore the camo, and tore at the pant leg to reveal a bandaged wound. She grinned, kicking it.

Gunslinger growled in pain as his memory from Wolfssenger reopened, the bandage quickly turning red with his blood. He fought through the pain, flying into a flurry of punches, blocks, and kicks as she did everything she could to fend off his attack.

Sabina's men stared in worry as their mistress appeared to be overpowered, raising their guns to defend her. The car roared to life, speeding in front of the grappling duo to shield Gunslinger from their gunfire.

Sabina desperately clawed at the helmet, cringing as sparks flew as the metal blades scraped across the metal. He grabbed her hand in his fist, forcing her to the ground as he reached behind him to grab a pair of cuffs. She flashed her eyes one last time in an attempt to escape, and Gunslinger watched as she seemed to erupt into flames. He instinctively flinched, letting her go as the fire ran away from him.

"Shoot him!" She shouted, running for the building. Gunslinger quickly typed an order into his pad, and the Jaguar started moving after her, as he ran ducked alongside it, using the armored car as a mobile shield against the hail of gunfire.

Sabina reached the door, and then she cried out as she felt a sharp pain in her leg. Another turret had popped out, firing a single rubber bullet at her knee, sending her to the ground. Temporarily incapacitated, Gunslinger quickly placed the cuffs around her wrists, forcing her into the backseat of the Jaguar.

He dove into the driver's seat as the men outside barked out orders to intercept the car as he drove out of the lot, speeding through the roads. "Venus has been captured, I repeat, Venus has been captured. Be ready to pick me up at the RV point." Sniper rounds slammed into the sides, cars speeding out of garages. Gunslinger smirked, grabbing the shift and throwing it into full gear. The boosters activated, and the Jaguar took off, now a blue blur as the sound barrier broke, popping the ears of the nearby men. He sped through the streets towards the rendezvous point, expertly navigating the traffic at his high speed. The chopper came into view, and he sped towards it, the car slowing as the chopper's clamps closed around the sides of the car, lifting it into the air. "Where to now sir?" came Firehawk's voice.

"We're heading back to America." He replied. "Let's drop her off at the Pentagon with the others then head to Star City."

"Yessir." The pilot replied, turning towards home. Gunslinger groaned, sitting back and reaching for a new roll of bandages.

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	8. The Markswoman

Hero in this chapter is Ricochet. Next will be The Reaper.

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Mackenzie sighed as she stepped out of the shower, steam swirling around her feet as she dried her hair and wrapped her towel around her body. She glanced at the fogged up mirror, her gunmetal grey eyes staring back at her. She finished with her hair, running her fingers through it to comb any tangles out before grabbing her green T-shirt and black leggings from the rack.

As she stepped out of her bathroom into her apartment she tensed against the air conditioning against her skin. She pulled her pants on, the shirt following as she tossed the towel into the hamper. She grabbed a pair of socks and boots, sliding them on as she glanced out at Star City. Dusk was setting, and the sun illuminated the buildings in red. And her penthouse window provided an excellent view of the whole show. She stretched, sitting down at the table and grabbing a banana from the fruit basket. Her laptop beeped, and she opened it to see a Skype request. She grinned, switching it on. "Hey, Ollie."

"Hey, Mack." He greeted. He squinted, noticing her damp hair. "Oh, did you just get out of the shower?"

"Yeah, but no worries. I wasn't doing anything." She smiled at him. "Thanks for letting me crash in your penthouse. It's a nice change from downtown."

"I've told you before, you're welcome to have it. I'd be happy to pay for it." Oliver said, smiling.

"I appreciate it, but _I_ told _you_ I want to make a life for myself. And only occasionally mooching off of you." She teased. "How's the leg?"

"Still hurts like hell. But I don't need my leg to shoot." He replied, returning the smile.

They sat in silence for a moment as Mackenzie fixed her hair before she broke the silence. "So I'm guessing this isn't a social call."

"No, it's not. It's an update call." He replied, his eyes falling.

Mack frowned in worry. "You still haven't found Dinah?"

"No trace whatsoever." He grumbled bitterly. "It doesn't make sense, it's like she disappeared off the face of the Earth."

"Are you sure she didn't go with the League on that weird space mission?" She asked, getting up to grab a coke from the fridge.

"Positive, only the founding members went on that, save for Batman. I'd ask for his help, but he's barely keeping those lunatics in Gotham." Oliver replied as Mack sat back down, cracking open the can. "I hear Scarecrow and Joker are both trying to gas the city."

Mack grimaced. "That whole city is a shit show." She commented, sipping her cool drink and leaning back in her chair. "I wish I could help."

"You could." He reminded her. "I still have your suit."

She shook her head before he even finished his sentence. "No way, Ollie. I'm never doing that stuff again."

"You made one mistake." He said, exasperated. "Mack…"

"A mistake? Ollie, I killed an innocent guy!" She exclaimed, her voice rising.

"He was robbing a bank! And he injured me, if he had done that to you or Dinah I'd probably do the same thing." Oliver replied, trying to calm her down.

"You and I both know you wouldn't. And he was just a kid, a scared kid who made a bad choice. You remember his parents calling for my head?" Mack retorted. Her cheeks had flushed red, and her temper was flaring, she knew that.

Oliver raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright, let's not get all yelly. I'm sorry, forget I said anything."

Mackenzie huffed, closing her eyes and turning away from the screen for a moment. "I'm sorry too, I just… I don't like talking about it."

"I know." Oliver replied, sincerity in his voice. "I know you don't. I shouldn't have brought it up, I'm just… I've been on edge ever since Dinah disappeared."

Mack smiled in understanding. "You should be, she's your wife."

"True, but she's no ordinary housewife." He replied, drawing laughs from them.

Mack smirked. "Yeah, you fit that role better than her."

"Hey!" he exclaimed, feigning indignance, even going so far as to place a hand over his heart. "That is an outrageous accusation. Slander, I say!"

Mack laughed, doubling over at the pout on her adoptive father's face. She wiped away the tears at the sound of a knock at the door. "That must be the pizza. I'm gonna go watch Star Wars, later Ollie."

"Stay saf-" Her screen went black, and she frowned. She was sure that she had at least half a battery left.

The knock sounded again, reminding her of her order. "Coming!" She shouted, digging in her jacket for her wallet. She pulled out a twenty and some ones, counting them out as she opened the door. "How much do… I…" she looked up into the glaring eyes of what she first thought was a robot. "You're not the pizza guy."

"Very observant." He replied. "Mackenzie Murray, you're coming with me."

She slowly backed away, she had guns hidden everywhere in the apartment. Just a few feet away was the doorway table, a pistol taped to the underside. "And where would that be?" She asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"That's classified." The man replied, following her inside. "Ricochet is needed."

At those words, she froze. For a split second, she stared in shock at the man as he advanced towards her. Then she dove for the table, knocking the vase over as she grabbed the gun. In the space of a second she rolled away and fired a short burst of fire at the man. He had ducked back into the hallway, and she heard the click of his own gun. She ran for the living room, diving down as a hail of bullet fire came over her head. She crawled under the table, working to free the shotgun underneath. She finally got it free, rolling out from underneath the table as it was turned to splinters by the assault rifle. She fired a shot from her pistol to get the guy down, then aiming the shotgun where his head had been.

He was smart, he made his way quickly around the corner and caught her by surprise. She cried out as three bullets entered her side. This guy knew where to shoot, she was temporarily paralyzed as he ran into her, tackling her and pinning her to the floor. She snarled, kicking his crotch and meeting an armored plate covering it. "Stand down and this will go a lot easier for both of us." He ordered.

She twisted in his iron grip, ignoring the pain as she head-butted him. A resounding _clang_ echoed in the apartment as she cracked her skull against his helmet, causing him to go dizzy for a moment.

She crawled away, dizzy herself as her skull repaired itself. She took off for the bedroom, then screamed as he unloaded into her back with his gun. She fell to the ground, limp as her blood pooled around her.

She closed her eyes as he approached her. To her surprise, she heard the clink off cuffs. _I'm dead, why is he getting out cuffs?_

She was answered by his next sentence as he leaned over her to put on the cuffs. "Playing dead won't work, I know about your healing factor." He growled, taking an arm to slide it into the first cuff.

"Worth a try." She replied, turning around and planting her bare foot against the cold metal faceplate. He grunted as she pushed him away, and she rolled away, grabbing a pistol from the second shelf of the bookshelf and aiming at his head.

He whipped out a knife, pressing a button. She could hear the hum as electricity ran through the blade, and she slowly backed away. "You won't win this fight." He growled.

"Wanna bet?" she shot back. He was blocking her path to the doorway, and she couldn't run for the hallway. All he needed to do was get behind her long enough to put her in those cuffs. Her eyes found the light fixture above him. She took another look at his helmet, clearly it was armored. She grinned, firing. The bullet hit the forehead of his helmet, cleanly bouncing off and going up into the fixture. The blub shattered, showering him with glass. He raised his arms to shield himself, and she aimed at the wall, firing again. The bullet bounced off the wall and through the wire, sending the fixture crashing down on top of him. She grinned, then groaned as it was tossed to the side, the man standing up. "Who the hell are you?!"

"Call me Gunslinger." He growled, aiming his pistol and firing. She dove behind the counter as he stood up. She remembered in her mind where he was standing, doing a quick calculation and aiming at the right place in the wall. She fired round after round, and the sound of bullets against metal and the man growling and crashing as he dodged confirmed her shots had found their target.

Then he threw a grenade at the counter. She screamed as shrapnel and splintered wood buried into her skin, the burn of the explosion searing her skin. He ran at her, and she was barely able to turn and shoot at him, forcing him back into cover. She gritted her teeth as she crawled away, heading for the window. She turned and shot the glass, shattering it. Shards rained down to the streets below, and she got to her feet and ran towards the window.

Gunslinger peeked out and went wide-eyed as he saw what she was doing. Was she insane?!

Mackenzie ignored the pain as glass lodged in her foot, going to the edge. She went dizzy as she looked down the high drop, taking a deep breath. Gunslinger shouted at her to stop, but she ignored him, stepping out of the window and going into free fall. Ten stories later she slammed into the hood of a car, screams hitting her ears as the people around her saw what they assumed was a suicide. Then further screams as she shakily got to her knees, breathing heavily as her wounds healed. She coughed, wiping the blood from her face as she slowly climbed off the hood of the car. She looked up, and cursed as she saw Gunslinger descending to her location on a rappel.

She sighed, running for the garage as people stared in confusion. Gunslinger landed on the ground, ignoring the cries of the people as children screamed "Robot!" and running after his target.

Mackenzie ran inside the cold garage, picking out shrapnel and glass as she went. The concrete floor stung her feet as she tried to find her spot, sighing in relief when her beloved Ducati Streetfighter entered her sight. She reached it, climbing on and activating the secret pad. The bike transformed from an ordinary motorcycle into a high tech machine, the containers containing her spare weapons and SMG turrets popping out, the holographic comm pad shining red to match the paint. She revved the cycle, speeding out of the garage.

She turned to smirk at Gunslinger in victory, paling when she instead saw a silver and blue car speeding towards her. She scowled, bringing her attention back to the road and speeding up. The bike could go at over 200 mph, and the fastest she'd gone was 235. Now she was pushing 150, looking back to see the car easily keeping up with her. She groaned, speeding up to 180. She heard sirens, and she sighed in relief as the cruisers surrounded the car.

Inside the Jaguar, Gunslinger calmly activated his radio. "This is Special Agent Guiness, Code name Gunslinger. Special ID 546. The woman I am pursuing is wanted by the Government, and you are under orders from the President to allow me to pursue her at my leisure."

Silence at first, then a response. "Roger that Gunslinger. Please avoid any civilian casualties. Do you require any assistance?"

"Set up roadblocks forcing her out of the city and into the wooded areas. This could result in a firefight. Beyond that I require no further assistance." He responded, following Mack around a corner and avoiding a collision with a semi.

"Acknowledged." Came the response.

Mack's jaw dropped as the cruisers pulled away from the car, allowing it to gain on her. She was pushing 200 now, and it was still keeping up with her. She turned to her screen as the "Incoming Transmission" message flashed. She hesitantly answered, and Gunslinger's face appeared. "I know your bike's top speed is 235. This car can push 470, and I am more than capable of maintaining mobility at that speed. You are outgunned, and the police are currently setting up roadblocks. I would advise you stand down now, Ricochet."

"I'm not Ricochet, you ass! Not anymore!" she snarled, ending the transmission. If she couldn't outrun him, she'd have to out maneuver him. She saw one of the road blocks, and turned down an alleyway. The car sped past the alley, going to cut her off on the other side. She removed one of the SMGs, a KRISS Vector K10. She sped out the other side, and sure enough he was waiting for her. She sped away from him, picturing him behind her. Without looking, she aimed behind her at the tires. She fired, and she smirked as she heard the car swerve, sparks flying as it scraped against the wall of a building before getting back on the road. She reloaded the clip, going to fire again when a turret popped out of the side of the car, firing a single round. It slammed into her back, going through her and slamming into the road. She gasped, it had passed through her lung, and she struggled to stay steady and keep breathing as her lung repaired itself and got rid of the blood filling it. The turret fired again, this time at her wheel. The tire popped, and she cringed at the high-pitched squeal as the now exposed wheel spun against the road. She slowed down significantly, and the car was still gaining.

She spotted an exit, and sped towards it, heading out of the city. She fished in her pocket for her cell phone, dialing Oliver's phone number. It barely rang once before he picked up. "Mack, what the hell is going on?! You're all over the news!"

"I have no god damn idea!" She shouted as she drove. "Some lunatic who knows I was Ricochet is chasing me, and the police are on his side! This dude has serious tech."

She heard him curse. "Lead him to the manor, I'll go get my suit on. Try not to let him catch you."

"Will do." She replied, hanging up and speeding up as much as she could. The dial read 210, and she cursed as she sped towards the manor, the car on her tail.

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Gunslinger narrowed his eyes as he chased Ricochet. Based on her path he assumed she was heading for Oliver Queen's manor. But why would she lead him there? He typed into his gauntlet, pulling up her file. It said she was friends with Queen and his wife, occasionally attending Queen's parties. Other than that, nothing. It didn't make sense that she would lead him to her friend's house. He narrowed his eyes. Unless…

His car swerved as an arrow imbedded itself in front of one of his wheels, getting it stuck. He crashed through the iron fence, growling as he climbed out of the car, grabbing his M4 and SPAS. He made his way behind a tree as another arrow imbedded itself in the ground beside him. The side popped out, spilling thick smoke into the air. He was quickly surrounded by the cloud of grey, and he activated his thermal vision. He looked around in time to see the heat signature of someone running at him, fists raised. He blocked the first punch, his fist connecting with Ricochet's shoulder.

Green Arrow ran behind him, firing another arrow. This one's tip exploded before it reached him, a boxing glove inflating as it slammed into his back. Gunslinger grunted from the force, allowing Ricochet to perform a jumping roundhouse kick to his face.

He caught himself as he fell out of the smoke cloud, rolling to his feet and drawing his SPAS. He fired behind him at Green Arrow, forcing him behind cover before firing into the cloud. He hit nothing, and realized too late that Mack had climbed the tree. She drop kicked him, sending him to the ground. He crossed his arms as Green Arrow fired a net arrow at him, trapping him on the ground.

When he had crossed his arms, he had gotten his knife into a position to cut the rope, sawing through it in seconds and getting back to his feet. Ricochet drew a trio of shurikens and throwing each one in a different direction. Unable to predict where they'd land, Gunslinger tried his best to shield vital areas as the bladed weapons tore his suit. One went across his arm, drawing a gash while another one slashed his abdomen, the last one cutting a wound in his leg. She drew another set, and he ran forward, grabbing her wrist as Green Arrow notched another arrow, this one electric.

Gunslinger saw this out of the corner of his eye, grabbing Ricochet by both arms and turning her in time to catch the arrow in her chest.

Green Arrow's eyes went wide as Mack was electrocuted. "NO!"

She gasped as the juice in the arrow ran out, and Gunslinger karate chopped her neck, sending her to the ground, gasping for air as she struggled to recover. Green Arrow roared, pulling a regular sharpened arrow from his sheath and running at Gunslinger to use it as a melee weapon.

Gunslinger blocked his attack, grabbing his wrist and twisting it until the arrow fell out of his fist, using his leg to kick Arrow's feet out from under him. He went to the ground as Mack slowly got to her feet, drawing a glock and aiming at Gunslinger's chest. At the same time she pressed the barrel against his heart, he pressed his own against her head. She froze as they stood in a standoff. "I've read your file. You heal fast, but there are limitations, aren't there?" he asked.

She scowled. "You came all this way to capture me, why kill me now?"

"You're not the only one I need to capture." He replied. "The fate of the world hangs on this operation, it's more important that I make sure as many of the recruits are brought in."

"You're lying." She accused.

"Then call my bluff." He retorted, gun unwaveringly placed against her brain stem area. "Pull the trigger. But I'll have enough time to shoot you too."

She scowled at him, trying desperately to decide if he was bluffing or not. "Why… does the government… want to kidnap heroes?" Came a shaky voice, and Mack looked to the side to see Oliver on his knees, glaring at Gunslinger.

He turned to look at the archer. "Cadmus is trying to pull together an organized team to fight the villains. The entire world is falling apart, and relying on the scattered forces of the heroes of the world isn't enough. We're making a team of vigilantes and criminals to turn them into heroes, so that they can do what the League won't."

"You mean kill." Mack growled, lowering her gun and standing up, Gunslinger doing the same.

"I do. And we have another goal: Bring back the heroes that have disappeared." He responded.

That caught both their attention. "You mean, like Black Canary?" Arrow asked.

"Among others. We have three priorities: Find the missing heroes, save people from the attacks, and get to the bottom of this surge in crime. Black Canary is one of many heroes. Along with the founding members of the League, other heroes have disappeared as well. The Question, Captain Atom, Dr. Fate, Red Tornado, Captain Marvel, Star Girl, Power Girl, and others. They're dropping like flies, and we want to get to the bottom of it."

Mack slowly moved out of her defensive stance. "Why do you want me?"

He turned to look at her. "You're an ex assassin, and you have experience being a hero. Not to mention your abilities alone are cause for wanting you. You and six others have been selected to be recruits to the operation, joining to form a group of eight. And…" he added. "…It's not optional."

She scowled again, before Arrow spoke. "You need to do it." She turned to look at him in shocked outrage. "Mack, I've been telling you, you're meant to be a hero. You have a chance to do some real good here, and to find Di… Black Canary." He caught himself.

"I've figured out you and Dinah are Green Arrow and Black Canary, Mr. Queen." Gunslinger commented. "That became obvious when Ricochet led me here. Don't worry," he said. "Revealing your identity isn't necessary in my report. Now, Miss Murray. You can either come quietly, or by force. Your choice."

Mack looked back and forth between Gunslinger and Oliver, the latter of whom had a pleading look on her face. She sighed, looking back at Gunslinger. "I accept."

Arrow grinned as Gunslinger started calling for the chopper. "I'll go get your suit."

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After dropping Murray off at the Pentagon, Gunslinger called Waller. "Almost all recruits have been taken in, ma'am. We're still trying to find Reaper."

"I may have already found him." She replied. "There's been a string of brutal murders in Brazil. Over each body a religious verse was scrawled in blood."

"Bingo." Gunslinger replied. "I'm going to bring Shadow with me, I'll inform you as soon as we have him."

"Be careful, Guiness." She advised. "Most of the people on this team are loose cannons, but if he decides you're worth his blade, there's no telling what he'll do. Expect the unexpected."

"Will do, ma'am." He ended the transmission, calling Alessandra. "Shadow, meet me at the Anápolis Air Force base in Brazil. We're bringing in The Reaper."

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	9. The Killer

This is the final introduction chapter, featuring The Reaper. After this the story will start.

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Gunslinger waded through the foliage, grunting as a tree branch snapped at his back. It had been thirty six hours since he and Shadow had arrived in Brazil, and since then two other murders had occurred. Now, he was fairly certain he had learned the site of the next one. As the abandoned cabin came into view, he radioed Alessandra. "Shadow, are you in position?"

"Affirmative." She replied. She was a quarter of a mile away, on the upper cliff of the mountain they were in. She had her sniper rifle all set up, and she had the entire cabin in her sight. "I'm seeing a flickering light on the upper level. Could be a few candles. A cross, and…" she shuddered. "Dan, I think there's a guy tied to it."

"Can you identify him as the man who went missing earlier today?" Gunslinger asked as he swept aside a thorn bush, nearing the porch.

"Beard, crooked nose… that's all I can tell. He's kinda badly bruised. But I'm like 90 percent sure that's Lucio Gilherme." She responded, trying to discern the man's features.

"Then I'm one hundred percent sure this is the right place." Gunslinger replied, finally leaving the trees and approaching the front door.

"So, since we're not killing this guy, where do you want me to shoot?" she asked.

"Anywhere but the head. He can heal from pretty much everything else." He responded. "I'm going in, any sign of the target?"

"None. I assume he's in the room though." She answered. Gunslinger drew in a breath, slowly entering the cabin, not noticing the black crow watching his movement with its pale green eyes.

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Gunslinger was silent as he progressed through the vacation home. Bear rug, wool carpets, stuffed animals mounted on the walls, a cold fireplace. He saw the outline of where police tape had marked the locations of a body, and there were traces of police investigation into the murder that had happened here nearly two months ago. He finally found the stairs, and saw the heavy set boot prints that told that someone had walked up these stairs. Recently.

He tentatively walked up the stairs, furrowing his brow as music hit his ears. "What the hell is that?" he whispered.

Alessandra listened. "Sounds like a church choir."

"Freak." He muttered. "Reaper, not you." He added.

"I assumed as much." She mused. "Still no sight of him be careful."

He was close enough to the door now he decided against responding. He narrowed his eyes. It would be unwise to enter now. He looked up the stairs, there was a third level he could try. He went up there, and to his relief saw that there was a hole in the floor. He got down on his hands and knees, going prone and crawling over to it.

Inside, he saw a radio sitting on the floor next to the outlet. Like Shadow had guessed, what sounded like a hymn was being sung by whoever was on there. Movement caught his eye, and he turned his attention to the man on the cross. He groaned, picking his head up. Gunslinger's hud ran a recognition scan, confirming Lucio's identity. "H-Hullo? Where am I?" he asked.

"Your reckoning." Came a low, guttural growl. The hair stood on the back of Gunslinger's neck as a figure seemed to materialize out of the shadows. He was tall, a tattered tunic covering his torso and upper legs. He had leathery black shin guards and greaves on his lower legs, and the same material around his arms in gauntlets. A satchel was hanging across his chest, a belt holding various tools and instruments of torture. Underneath it all he wore a black body suit, and perhaps most haunting was his head. A black cowl surrounded it, the hood throwing his face into an impenetrable black void. "Lucio Gilherme. You have committed heinous sins. I am your judgment."

Lucio's eyes went wide at the sight of the killer. "I-I didn't do anything! This is a mistake!"

"Don't lie to me." He rasped. He was pacing in front of him now, like a predator toying with his prey. "You fooled the police, you fooled the courts. But you can't fool the one judge who matters." He suddenly moved forward, a black blur that soon had its fist clenched around Lucio's throat. "God has seen your sins, and so have I." he growled.

Tears were forming in Lucio's eyes as he struggled against the Reaper's iron grip. "P-Please, I'm innocent!"

"Innocent?" Reaper repeated. He let go of Lucio, reaching into his satchel and drawing out a set of pictures. "You call this _innocent?!_ " The first photo Gunslinger could see was of a young Brazilian woman. Beautiful, her tanned skin flawless and almond eyes matched by her pearly smile. Her dark hair was cut in bangs, hanging to her shoulders. She was in a green track and field uniform. Gunslinger's gut wrenched as he realized this was the girl who had been murdered in the cabin. Only a high school girl. "Lillian Lucas. 18, head of her track team. Two months ago she was ripped away from this world, tied up in a secluded cabin and violated repeatedly for three days straight." Gunslinger had gotten into a position to get the drop on Reaper, but now he backed away, a hard look in his eyes. He typed a message to Shadow. _Don't fire yet. Let's let him do his work first._

"Then…" he continued as Lucio visibly sweated. "Her kidnapper invited his friend, Matheus Henrique to join in on the ' _fun_ '" he growled on the last word. "And after he finished, Lillian tried to escape. She was then murdered, her throat cut." The Reaper revealed the next photo, of the same girl, bloody and beaten on the cabin floor. A police photo. "Do you know where Matheus is right now, Lucio?" Lucia shook his head. "His corpse is waiting to be found in his house. Mutilated." He drew out the last word in a rasp, making Lucio shudder. "But, he was really just an accomplice compared to the one who took her and raped her." He leaned in close to Lucio. "You were that man, Lucio." The man shook his head, terrified. "ADMIT IT!"

"Alright!" Lucio cried, straining to get away from the haunting man. "I-I'm sorry, alright! I was j-just having fun!"

"Kidnapping a helpless girl and taking away her innocence is _FUN?!_ " The Reaper roared, fury etched into his words. "You are a pathetic excuse of a human being, a monster unworthy of the pleasure of life." He growled. He held out his palm, and in a flash of green fire a heavy scythe materialized in his fist.

"No!" Lucio cried, struggling violently to escape. "I'll confess! I'll go to jail! Just please, don't kill me!"

"It's too late for redemption, vermin." The Reaper growled, drawing a dagger from his belt. "Now burn with the rest of the beasts."

Lucio's shrill scream was reduced to a gurgle of pain as the dagger was jabbed into his chest, over and over, his sweat stained grey shirt turning crimson as the multiple wounds bled out. The Reaper raised the scythe behind his head, cutting off the whimpers as the blade was brought down. Lucio's head rolled across the floor, his look of horror and pain still written across it.

"Jesus…" Shadow muttered over the radio. Gunslinger didn't answer, instead typing to her to ready her shot. He drew his own M4, getting ready to drop down.

"You're not an assassin or hit man." The Reaper suddenly said, kneeling down to the pool of blood and dipping his index and ring fingers in the blood and placing them against the wall as he began to write. Gunslinger's blood ran cold. "Otherwise you would have taken the shot before I killed him. Or at least after I'd finished."

He'd been discovered. A harsh caw reached his ears, and he turned to see the green eyed crow staring at him.

"So, what are you?" Reaper asked calmly, finishing his verse and wiping the blood on his tunic. He turned to look directly at Gunslinger. "A soldier sent to detain me?"

Gunslinger's eyes, previously dulled so that the light wouldn't give away his position, glowed to life. "Pretty much." He replied, diving for the killer.

The Reaper suddenly disappeared as Gunslinger hit the ground, materializing behind him and kicking him into the wall. Gunslinger turned to fire his M4, the Reaper fluidly appearing in front of him and knocking the gun away from his hands before disappearing again. Gunslinger rolled away as the Reaper appeared behind him again, nearly beheading him. "How many have you killed, soldier boy?" he growled.

Gunslinger stood to his full height, facing his target. "I don't bother keeping count. How many have you?" he responded, drawing his pistol and firing faster than the Reaper could react.

The bullet slammed into his chest, and The Reaper grunted from the pain, but otherwise unresponsive to the pain. He dashed forward, swinging his scythe in a slashing motion. Gunslinger dodged the strike, going to his knees to avoid it and sending his fist up into the Reaper's gut. He in turn turned to face Gunslinger, the scythe disappearing into thin air as he got into a battle stance. They circled each other, Gunslinger trying to lead him in front of the window. As he got in front of the window, the cross around the Reaper's neck glowed for a split second. He tensed, ducking in time to avoid Shadow's bullet as it shattered the window, passing through where Reaper's chest had been a moment before. He teleported away as a second shot slammed into the ground where he had been. Gunslinger cursed, activating his night vision and drawing his pistols. He ran out into the halls, looking around for the target. He turned to see the Reaper holding out the cross in front of him, and his HUD flashed a blinding white light as the Reaper made the cross glow brighter than a spotlight.

"GAH!" He cried, dropping his guns and raising his hands to cover his eyes. He felt the front of his suit get grabbed, and he was lifted and thrown through the old wall into the murder room. Gunslinger felt his skin get wet from the tears in his suit from Ricochet. He had landed in the blood puddle. He scrambled to his feet as a boot connected to his abdomen, sending him back down as he struggled for air.

Shadow kept her eye on the edge of the window as she watched Gunslinger get beaten. All she needed was one good shot. The Reaper's knee entered her sight, and she fired. Before the shot reached him he jerked his leg away, the bullet hitting the floor. She cursed, then screamed as a sharp pain in her neck was felt. She turned to see a huge black crow attacking her, and she rolled away to shoot at it. To her shock, it ignored her, instead grabbing her rifle with its clawed feet and flying away. "Hey!" She cried angrily, trying to grab for the rifle before the bird flew off over the chasm. It evaded her grab, and seemed to mock her with a laughing caw as it flew over the cliff and away with her gun. She cursed as the crow disappeared, turning to look back at the window as Gunslinger was punched repeatedly by Reaper.

Gunslinger was on his feet, trying desperately to land a hit on Reaper. But the Reaper was a seasoned martial artist, blocking each blow and striking back. He backed away, determined to win. The looming figure of the Reaper stalked towards him, fists raised. He felt his boot nudge something, and he ducked down to grab his M4. Before he stood back up to fire, the Reaper's cross glowed again, warning him. He ran to the hallway, Gunslinger standing up and firing through the walls. He heard a grunt, and grinned as he ran out to see that he had managed to hit the Reaper. His side was already healing, and the repaired flesh pushed the bullet out, a soft clink as it landed on the soft wood. The Reaper whipped around, swinging his scythe. Gunslinger evaded the attack, backing up and firing in short, controlled bursts. He managed to get three bullets in the leg, another in the shoulder. Reaper roared, and launched into a flurry. He twirled both himself and the scythe around as if it weighed nothing, tearing apart Gunslinger's suit. Camo tore, armor was dented and gashed, crimson flying as Gunslinger's body was hacked at. Reaper's defense was impenetrable, his swinging scythe the perfect shield as it deterred Gunslinger from getting a single strike in.

He finally backed away enough to roll to the side, his turn to retreat into the hall. He ran for a bedroom, but when he kicked won the door the Reaper was waiting, having teleported inside from the other room. His fist connected to Gunslinger's face plate with enough force to snap his head back and even managing to dent it. He karate chopped Gunslinger's throat, kicking out his knee and upper cutting his jaw. Gunslinger went down, gasping as Reaper stomped down on his back. He grit his teeth, grabbing Reaper by the boot and flipping him over. The Reaper grunted as he slammed into the ground, and Gunslinger drew his pistol, firing into his spinal column six times. Momentarily paralyzed, Gunslinger took the opportunity to grab him by the cowl and slam his head against the ground before picking him up and slamming him into the wall, splintering the wood. He drew his body back before slamming it again, this time sending him through the wall into the bedroom beyond. The Reaper's back had fully healed now, and he twisted around in Gunslinger's grip to head butt him. Gunslinger braced through the pain, paling when the Reaper's eyes flashed green. A loud caw sounded, and the crow slammed into him, scratching and biting at him. Gunslinger let the Reaper go to fight the bird, trying to shoot it. But the bird could move as quickly and fluidly as its master, and swooped and dove around him, pecking at his body.

The Reaper tackled Gunslinger back out into the hall, slamming him into the railing. He summoned his scythe again, going for a hack to the legs. Gunslinger grasped the railing, lifting his feet up in time and planting both boots against Reaper's chest. With a grunt he fell back into the original room, Lucio's body having fallen over by now and into the puddle. Gunslinger tossed a grenade inside, ducking behind cover as it exploded. He jumped back inside to see the Reaper already getting back on his feet, brushing the shrapnel away as if it were dirt on his clothes.

Shadow bit her lips as she watched the fight unload through binoculars. In a desperate attempt to help, she drew her pistol, aiming at the window. She fired round after round until the clips was empty, hoping to hit her target.

Back inside, bullets pelted the floor as Gunslinger grappled with Reaper. He grabbed his target by the wrist, twisting Reaper's arm and elbowing him in the face, earning a satisfying _crunch_ as Reaper went down.

Gunslinger was breathing heavily, standing over the body of the Reaper as he struggled to regain his breathing. Then the Reaper shot back up, growling like a demon and grasping Gunslinger by the throat. He squeezed with inhuman strength, crushing the metal guard around his throat. He let Gunslinger go, watching as he clawed at the armor that was now cutting off his breathing. As his vision started to go black, he reached the point where the neck guard connected to his helmet, unlatching it. He gasped violently as the neck armor snapped off, falling to the ground with a clang. The reaper reached into his satchel, and then threw down a glass vial. Within second the already soft wood disintegrated from the acid, and Gunslinger cried out as he fell down to the first floor. He let out an "Oomf!" as the Reaper jumped down, landing full force on his chest. "That sounded like your ribs breaking." He rasped, stepping off of the gasping soldier. He grabbed Gunslinger by the throat again, taking his dagger and cutting off the tactical gear as Gunslinger tried reaching for another grenade. He grabbed the electrical dagger from Gunslinger's belt, pressing the blade against the helmet and sending the current through it. The soldier screamed in pain as his head felt like it was set on fire, and paled as one of his HUD's eyes went dark, the projections disappearing. Reaper walked him over to the wall, slamming him through it and dangling him over the edge of the ravine. "You've failed, soldier boy." He growled. "But you put up a good fight, so I will grant you a quick death." He added, drawing his dagger.

Gunslinger coughed, his breathing ragged. "No… you… won't…"

The Reaper hesitated. "And what makes you so sure of that?"

"I've… read your file…" he wheezed. "I know your game… and I know you don't kill the innocent."

"And you're innocent?" he asked. "I don't even know who you are."

"Which is why you can't kill me. You have no idea if I deserve death. You said it yourself, I'm part of the Government. Sent to detain you."

The Reaper studied him for a moment, then to his surprise let out a low chuckle. "You're the one whose been rounding up recruits for the American project, aren't you?" he asked.

Gunslinger's eyes widened. "How…"

"Don't underestimate me or my intelligence. I wasn't sure, but you're him, aren't you? Gunslinger. You've detained four wanted criminals and recruited two heroes. Cadmus wants me as well, don't they? To 'save the world?'"

"Y-Yes…" Gunslinger answered.

The Reaper pulled him back inside. "Tell your superior I'm flattered, but I don't play well with others."

He turned to leave, and Gunslinger pulled his pistol. "It's not optional. You're coming with me."

Reaper turned slowly to look at him. "Walk away now before I change my mind about killing you."

"Don't underestimate me, either." Gunslinger responded. "I won't give up until I die."

The Reaper turned to look at him head on. "I won't kill you." He summoned his scythe. "But there's nothing in my code about who I can maim."

"Bring it on." Gunslinger growled. The Reaper wordlessly dashed forward, but now Gunslinger was ready. He dodged the attack, bringing his elbow down on Reaper's back and running for the stairwell. He knew he couldn't beat the Reaper in close quarters, he was outmatched in melee weaponry and martial arts. But he could definitely beat him at a range. He drew his M4, shredding the stairwell and reloading within the space of a second. The Reaper teleported to the top of the stairs to meet him, but Gunslinger was ready again. He jumped back down the stairs, firing in midair as he fell. The Reaper used his blade to shield his head and torso, but his legs and arms were riddled with bullets. He went to his knees, and Gunslinger tossed aside his carbine to draw his twin pistols. He unloaded into the Reaper, adding new holes to the tunic as the stairs were re painted with blood. He turned to run back into the living room, throwing a grenade at the front wall. "Shadow, get here ASAP! I need you!" He was cut short by the Reaper slamming into his back, sending him crashing through the old couch.

The Whispering Shadow steeled herself, throwing out her arms as they grew feathers, her fingers elongating to accommodate the transformation. She felt herself grow lighter as she stepped off the face of the cliff, gliding towards the cabin. She paled as she heard the harsh caw of the Reaper's bird, and turned in time to dodge the claws as it attacked her, gritting her teeth. She focused on escaping the bird, helping Gunslinger on the forefront of her mind.

The Reaper stood over Gunslinger as he struggled to his feet, glaring down at him. "Why me?" he asked quietly. "There's countless heroes in the world. I'm a loose cannon. A serial killer. A hardcore psychotic. Why the hell would you want me on a team entrusted to save the world?"

Gunslinger growled in response, turning to shoot the Reaper. He in turn fluidly moved away from the shot, smacking the gun away. "But I shouldn't be asking you, should I? You're not the brains behind the operation. You're the grunt sent to round us up like lost cattle."

"My job isn't to ask questions. It's to obey orders like a good grunt." He responded, drawing his last pistol.

"I suppose so." The Reaper replied. Gunslinger picked up on the playful smirk in his tone. "Hmm…"

Gunslinger ignored him, circling his target, waiting for an opportune time. Then Shadow flew in the opening he'd made, kicking the Reaper to the floor. He immediately teleported to the fireplace, back on his feet. The crow flew in, landing on his shoulder. He got in a defensive stance as the duo planted themselves in front of him, both aiming their weapons at him. Then he started chuckling. "Fine."

Gunslinger tensed. "Fine what?"

"Fine, as in I'll see what this little operation is all about." He answered, the scythe disappearing as he leaned against the fireplace.

Shadow looked to Gunslinger for guidance as he tried to judge the sincerity of his words. "Then you won't object to cuffs." He finally said.

"I assumed measures would be taken. Seeing as I might decide to kill everyone around me." The Reaper replied, holding out his hands. "You should feel honored, Gunslinger. You're the first person to ever catch me."

"I'll make sure they give me a trophy." He said dryly, placing the cuffs around his outstretched wrists. He smirked behind his helmet. "There's one other precaution I have to take."

The Reaper realized too late as a needle was jabbed in his side. "You…"

"That's enough concentrated tranquilizer to take out five elephants. Too much for your healing factor to combat."

He felt the red hot glare on him as the Reaper went limp, and Gunslinger started to laugh. "That was a lot more satisfying considering the number he did on me."

"Yeah, speaking of that…" Shadow interrupted. "You have a deep bite mark from Wolfssenger, multiple cuts from Ricochet, and I don't even know where to begin with what he just did to you."

Gunslinger had already started calling in the chopper. "They're just flesh wounds. I'll walk it all off." He replied to her chagrin. "Let's get this bastard back to America, it's high time we got to work."

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	10. The Mission

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Mackenzie paced in her cell, completely empty save for a camera and a bed, and a toilet along the back wall. The walls were stark white with a flawless surface, and the energy barrier keeping her in glowed bright red. Almost two damned days she'd been in here, and without any answers to her questions despite how much she badgered the stoic guards. She had come in without resistance, she basically volunteered. Why the hell was she being held prisoner?

She figured it could be worse. The identical cell across from hers contained a furry man in a hoodie, and he was under constant sedation. There was a special energy cell next to that, where she saw the guy the Flash had caught just three months ago, a special band around his head and cuffs, and he was sedated as well. She pursed her lips, wondering how long they'd been here. She thought that at one point the previous day she saw an Asian woman in a slim white dress walk through the hallway above the room they were in.

She heard the door open, and looked out of the bars and gasped. Four men were escorting an unconscious figure in a straightjacket and special restraints. She took in the black hood, the void masking his face. She'd seen enough police reports and grainy footage to recognize the Reaper.

Behind him was Gunslinger, and he turned away from the escort to walk over to her cell. She started to open her mouth when he held up a hand. "I realize that the cell was unnecessary. If it means anything to you, I advised Waller to let you go free. Evidently, she did not take my advice."

Her eyes softened, and her mouth closed. "So you're going to let me out?"

"I am." He replied, punching in the code. The bars slid into the ceiling, and she walked out, stretching. He handed her a briefcase, and when she opened it she saw all her weapons and gear neatly folded into the small space. "Suit up. After you're all briefed we leave to begin our mission."

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Majutsu was escorted into a small, white circular room. The first thing she noticed was the five bodies lying on the floor, all in some manner of restraints. Her eyes widened as Whispering Shadow walked in after her. "Why are they all unconscious?"

"Remember when I told you about how the other team members would be criminals?" Majutsu nodded. "Meet the criminals."

The door opened again, and the two of them turned to see Gunslinger walk in, followed by a woman in a black coat with a red trim, a domino mask covering her eyes and a belt with twin pistols, shurikens, and throwing knives attached to it around her waist. "Shadow, Majutsu, this is Ricochet. The only other willing member of the team."

"Willing?" Majutsu asked, shaking Ricochet's hand.

"Yeah. I think most of these guys would rather kill us than fight alongside us." Ricochet replied, eyeing the unconscious people warily. She smiled at Majutsu. "Firm grip. Nice handshake."

"Thank you, Miss Ricochet." Majutsu replied, bowing. "It is an honor to meet another American hero. I have seen videos of you fighting alongside Green Arrow and Black Canary. Most impressive."

Ricochet smiled at the compliment. "Thank you. You're the Japanese heroine, aren't you?"

"I am-" she started before the big door opened, and a woman walked in, a blue pantsuit around her bulky body and a hard, steely look in her dark eyes. "Wake them up." She ordered.

"Yes ma'am." Gunslinger replied, pressing a button.

The vents on the ceiling hissed, and Ricochet turned to glare at him. "Are you gassing us?"

"It's a special chemical mixture, completely harmless." He replied. "It just wakes up anyone unconscious."

Groans filled the room as they all slowly got to their knees, Reaper and Poltergeist hesitantly getting to their feet. Wolfssenger looked around, then fury lit up his face when he spotted Gunslinger. "You son of a bitch! I'll rip you apart!" he roared, getting to his feet and running for Gunslinger.

The soldier smirked behind his helmet as Wolfssenger collided with the energy barrier. Electricity ran through his body, throwing him back to the ground. Venus snickered, drawing a glare from him. "What are you laughing at?"

"A moron." She replied, earning a growl from him.

"Enough!" Waller interrupted, demanding the attention of everyone in this room. "Now, I'm sure you're all expecting an explanation for why you're here."

"To save the world?" Reaper asked calmly. "Isn't that the gist?"

"You'll do well not to interrupt me, Reaper." She replied. "But yes, dumbed down that is the objective." She paced in front of the barrier. "Each of you has been selected because you possess abilities that can be beneficial to humanity, abilities that will allow you to help us fight back against the growing terror of the villains. Along with that, each of you, to some degree, has shown evidence of heroism in yourself."

Venus barked out a laugh. "I'm the head of the Grecian Mafia, and if I'm not mistaken the gentleman in black is a serial killer."

"You're Sabina Ambrosia?" Reaper asked, and she proudly lifted her chin.

"I am." She replied.

"I've been meaning to kill you and your brother." He growled.

"Silence, both of you." Waller ordered, cutting of Venus as she scowled, preparing to retort. "Wolfssenger, though a common thief, has also foiled muggings, robberies, and even broken up street gangs. Poltergeist has been hunting down members of Hive. Venus has taken many lives, but she's saved just as many, using her gang to protect orphaned or abused children, enacting justice on criminals who escape the courts after committing heinous crimes, offering shelter to battered women. Dark Swan is an assassin, but one who has broken up gangs, stopped prostitution and drug rings, and helped police track down high profile criminals. And Reaper, though a brutal serial killer, has brought to justice countless criminals who either never went to court, got off, escaped, or he just got there first." She elaborated. "My point is, you all have the potential to become more than the common criminals you are. You can become heroes."

"And if we don't want to be part of your little club?" Poltergeist asked, glaring at Waller.

Reaper answered for him. "We don't have a choice. She wouldn't round up a band of criminals like us without a contingency." He said, Waller feeling his icy stare bore into her.

She smirked. "Exactly. Obviously you won't all be eager to throw down your lives to save the world. And so, should you decide to leave, betray the team or me, or have any thoughts about escape, then I will detonate the bombs implanted in your necks."

A collective gasp arose from the recruits behind the shield. "You… you put _bombs_ in us?!" Wolfssenger asked, fear in his trembling voice and in his wide eyes.

Waller's smirk only grew, and some of the recruits behind the barrier shared uneasy glances. Then Venus stood up, her skepticism clear in her face. "You're bluffing. You wouldn't go through all this trouble just to kill us if we step out of line."

Waller snapped her fingers, and Majutsu's jaw dropped as Gunslinger drew a shotgun. Waller nodded to a camera, a crackle sounded. "The shield is down." She said calmly, smirking and stepping to the side as the big door reopened. "And the exit is that way."

Venus looked taken aback. She wasn't sure what kind of response she was expecting, but this wasn't it. She felt all eyes on her, and turned to see Reaper looking at her. "I say go for it."

She glared at him. "You just said she was right."

"I did." He confirmed. "And if I'm right, and you walk through there, then it will save me the trouble of killing you later on."

Venus looked at the exit with longing, eventually cursing and sitting back down. "Good choice." Waller said, the door closing and standing back in front of them. "Now, you have three objectives. Find the missing heroes, fight the bad guys, and get to the bottom of what's going on. The nine of you will have your own ship that contains living quarters along with other necessary rooms and equipment."

Gunslinger looked at Waller in confusion. As far as he knew, Alessandra was the only one Cadmus was sending in from the inside. "Nine, ma'am? There are only eight recruits."

"And then there's their leader, Gunslinger." Waller replied. "I'm entrusting you to keep these people in line and make sure the job is done right."

Gunslinger was stunned into silence, shooting a glare at Poltergeist as he barked out a laugh at the turn of events. Shadow sighed in relief, she was glad she'd have a friend with her. "M-Ma'am, you can't be serious…"

"I am. I've already had the detonation codes transferred to your gauntlet, and you will have full authority." She replied, turning to the recruits. "Now that you are aware of the situation you're in…" she said, tapping the back of her neck. "…your weapons and gear will be returned to you, and your restraints will be removed."

A pair of soldiers walked in, one with a key card and one pushing a cart with various boxes on it. They went to each recruit on the ground, unlocking their cuffs and ignoring their grumbling as they handed them their respective box containing their gear.

They unlocked the band around Poltergeist's head, and he rubbed his temples. "Let's see if I can go five minutes without having one of those snapped around my head." He muttered as he was handed his box, pulling out the grey body armor with green highlights and the domino mask.

They reached Reaper, backing away as the straightjacket fell away without them unlocking it. The longest box trembled, snapping open as the scythe and cross inside flew into his open palms. "Put away your guns, I'm not killing anyone." He growled as the soldiers kept their hands on their guns. Suddenly a burst of green light flashed along the ceiling, and a huge black crow seemed to teleport inside, landing on The Reaper's shoulder and affectionately pecking at his cheek as he placed the cross around his neck. Reaper raised a finger to scratch his birds chin.

Wolfssenger massaged his wrists as his cuffs were removed, then looked in surprise at the box. "I… I don't have any weapons or gear…"

"You do now." The soldier replied, shoving the box into his arms. As they moved on to Venus, he opened the lid to see a sleeveless black compression shirt with the silver head of a wolf on it. He ran his fingers over the fabric, feeling the carbon fiber layers. Underneath that were forearm guards, also black, with fingerless gloves attached to it. Under that was a pair of black cargo pants and special black boots designed to fit his dog like feet, small holes in the toes to accommodate for the claws on them. In the back of the box was a utility belt with a pair of combat knives and eight throwing knives. Along with that, his athletic shades. He lifted all of this out, then squealed in delight when he saw his Nintendo 3DS and games in the bottom. He grinned, then frowned as he finally noticed the weird feeling in his teeth and the metallic taste in his mouth. He ran his tongue over his teeth, his visible skin paling as he felt the metal. "What did you guys do to me?"

"Your teeth and claws all have a thin titanium layer grafted over them to increase damage done by them." Gunslinger answered irritably. "You'll get used to the feeling."

Venus pulled out her costume, a navy blue mask that covered her mouth and cheeks, and a strapless blue dress matching the mask and knee high boots, also blue. The dress cut off above her breasts, and had an underlying layer of silk, but the outside was lined with minor armor. She glared at the soldiers. "Where did you find this?"

"I politely asked your men to hand it over." Gunslinger replied, still fuming about his new assignment.

"You won't get away with detaining me like this." She growled. "Do you have any idea the authority I hold in Greece? In the criminal underworld?"

"Do you have any idea how much authority the United States of America has in the entire world?" Gunslinger mocked. "Shut up and suit up."

"Well, I can see you have everything under control here." Waller said as Dark Swan was handed her ring and dagger. "I expect daily updates on your progress."

"Yes ma'am." He replied through gritted teeth, clenching his fist as she exited the room. As everyone finished looking at their either new or reclaimed gear, some of them comfortable enough to start changing right there in the room, he stepped in front of them. "Fall in line. Single file. You will follow me to the ship, and you will remain silent until spoken to. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Poltergeist muttered as Gunslinger turned and walked out of the room, Shadow leading the line with Ricochet and Majutsu behind her. They exited the white room and entered an elevator, which revealed that they were several stories underground. The ride up was smooth and uncomfortable as everyone was squeezed together. Shadow gulped as Wolfssenger pressed against her side, scowling as he clutched his DS to his chest, uncomfortable in his new uniform. She knew she was safe from death, but she wasn't certain that these people were above petty "accidental" contact. This was confirmed as Poltergeist yawned, stretching and smacking the back of Gunslinger's head. This earned him a jab to the gut, drawing a gasp from him as he fell to his knees, a couple snickers following. Ricochet played with the folds of her trench coat, still not quite believing that she was back in her old costume. The Reaper was directly behind her, the only one in the elevator who was as still and silent as a statue.

The elevator doors finally opened, and Gunslinger led them up a short flight of stairs and into a bustling, long, grey hall. Soldiers marched all over the place, going to and from various locations. Politicians dotted the crowd, travelling to meetings. The hallway was long, with many other smaller hallways branching off, board rooms and briefing rooms along with countless other necessary rooms for the base.

As they walked through the dull grey halls, soldiers and politicians walking to and fro, Poltergeist turned to look at Reaper as he growled. "What's your deal?"

"The corruption in this place is thick enough to cut." He muttered, glaring at an uneasy balding man in a blue suit as he walked past. "These politicians have accepted bribes, taken part in unethical deals… it's sickening. If it weren't for the bomb in my neck the walls would be red by now."

"Can't you heal?" He asked.

"Not from something as devastating as that." He answered, looking forward again. "Can't you phase your body?"

Poltergeist's eyes widened, and he smacked his head. "Damnit, I should've thought of that…"

"I wasn't being serious." Reaper cut off. "These people aren't stupid, any abilities we have, they have ways to counteract them. I'd imagine your bomb is special." He replied. Poltergeist cursed, glaring at the back of Gunslinger's head.

Majutsu frowned. Intense negative energy was surrounding these people, they were bitter and angry. "Why did you kidnap these people?" she asked, turning to Shadow. "They're being held against their will."

"Most of these people are wanted criminals, they'd be in prison anyway." Shadow replied, avoiding her gaze. "Besides, we're facing a crisis. Drastic measures need to be taken."

"At the expense of our humanity?" she asked sagely.

"You're talking like we're holding dogs at gunpoint. These people are murderers, criminals, thieves." Gunslinger interjected, keeping his glaring eyes forward. "We're doing what's necessary for the mission."

"Even so, this is not how heroes act." Majutsu replied, the disapproval in her voice increasing with every word. "You're forcing these people into essentially being slaves."

"She's not wrong." Venus chimed in, leaning over Majutsu to glare at Gunslinger. "I'm fairly certain this is illegal in the U.S."

"Good thing we're the Government then." Gunslinger answered, stopping them in front of a large door and punching in a code. "Now I repeat: Shut up. We're entering the hangar. Maintain formation, one foot out of line and you'll be dragged the rest of the way."

A chorus of muttered affirmations that they understood answered, and the hangar doors slid open. Their jaws dropped in shock. The hangar was much larger than they expected, it was as long as two football fields and as wide as four. And it was ten stories tall. The entire floor was lined with cables and had crates stacked, forklifts and jeeps driving all over the place. Hundreds of workers and soldiers walked around, and the upper level walkways were packed with monitoring equipment and control rooms. At the end of the hangar were massive doors, which were currently closed.

But what really caught their attention was what was in the center. It was a massive ship, the size of a mansion. It appeared at first glance to be similar to a naval battleship, with the underside smooth and curbed, landing gear deployed at both ends. Then they noticed the four turbines, one on each corner of the ship. There were various lights blinking around the hull, and there were smaller hangars open to reveal jets inside.

As they walked across the hangar to the ship, Wolfssenger seemed like he was going to burst. "It's like the helicarrier!" The others turned to look at him strangely. "You know, like in the Avengers comics?"

"Who the hell are the Avengers?" Swan asked before getting cut off by Gunslinger.

"This will be your new home. Most of it is area for the workers, maintenance and communications and all that. But the front end is ours. It contains living quarters, training areas, and a control room. We will spend any time we're not out fighting in there. The rest of the ship is prohibited." He turned to look at his team. "But I think there's adequate space there to keep you satisfied."

"A big prison is still a prison." Swan commented bitterly.

Gunslinger didn't respond, ushering them onto a raising platform that lifted them to the top of the ship. The top deck was barren and smooth, save for a few entrances along the edges. A railing kept them from falling off, and Gunslinger led them to the nearest entrance, opening the door and gesturing to the stairs inside. "Keep moving."

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After five minutes of wandering halls silently as the workers ignored them, doing their various duties, they reached a pair of electronically locked doors. Gunslinger removed his face plate, revealing the scarred face of a battle worn soldier. His brown hair was trimmed in a neat crew cut, and his face was chiseled and hard as stone, scars across his eyes, chin, cheeks, and forehead, everywhere. He closed one eye and held the other up to a scanner, simultaneously punching in a four digit code. A microphone extended to his mouth, and he cleared his throat as his eye was scanned. "Savior." He said clearly, and the light over the door switched from red to green, and the low humming surrounding the door switched off as it the energy barrier deactivated. The locking mechanisms silently slid open, and the doors opened to reveal what looked like a futuristic living room. "This is the only entrance to our area. It guarantees privacy, and keeps you lot in."

They walked in, a large television sitting in front of a long couch, a glass coffee table in front of that. A kitchen sat on the other side, pantries and a fully stocked fridge along the wall and a food prep area. Various lights and control panels lined the walls, and along the back wall was a large computer with various monitors and keyboards. And In the center of the room was a circular metal table with a holographic projector in the center with nine seats around it.

Swan whistled as Poltergeist went immediately to the kitchen, looking inside the fridge. Wolfssenger excitedly vaulted over the black couch, picking up a remote and examining the television.

Most of the group disbanded the line to admire their new home, Ricochet following Shadow to the couch to sit down. Ricochet moaned in pleasure as she arced her back against the couch, two days in a hard, cold cell made her appreciate the feeling of an actual couch even more.

Gunslinger watched in silence, allowing them a bit of time to explore. He glanced to his side to see the Reaper unmoving from his spot. "You're going to be busy. Might as well explore now."

"Exactly, we'll be busy." The Reaper rasped. "No point in familiarizing myself with a room if I won't be spending any time in it." He eyed the computer. "Is there a laboratory? I need one."

"There is." He replied. "Waller anticipated you'd want one for any investigations. It has its own computer and five separate lab areas. Microscopes, test tubes, chemicals, operating table, scalpels… whatever you need. There's also supplies for Poltergeist's more technological experiments. Any arguments over space, or who's interfering with whose projects, you'll have to sort out yourselves. I don't want you coming to me with your petty arguments."

"I don't need any assistance settling disputes." was the response. "Where is it?"

"The bottom level. There are four levels available to us, this one, the training areas, our rooms, and the lab. Though I imagine you and Poltergeist will be the only ones down there at all."

"True enough." Reaper replied. "Now can I go down there, or do I need to wait for the grand tour?" he asked mockingly.

"The grand tour." Gunslinger answered with equal mockery, watching the rest of the group enjoy the brief peace of the moment. "You'll have your private time, be patient."

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Gunslinger rounded them up after ten minutes and took them down to the next floor. It was just a large gym, with four areas. There was a gymnastics area in the corner marked "1" with hoops and beams and swings and trapezes and a lot of other equipment. In corner "2" there was a raised platform with a gridded floor and a control board. "Holographic combat simulator." Gunslinger explained. "You can select the environment, enemy, and difficulty. Any projectiles or enemy attacks aren't fatal, but they're not soft."

In corner "3" there was a sparring ring, with a raised cage that would be lowered down for any fights. There were dulled weapons and beam guns that fired stun blasts for duels. And in corner "4" there was various workout machines, dumbbells, and treadmills. "Every day you're all required to participate in at least two hours of training. It can be whatever you want, but you have to train." He scowled as he was met with groans. "You all need to be in peak physical shape. Failure to follow this rule, or any rule, will result in loss of privileges."

"God forbid we lose our privileges." Poltergeist muttered, earning a short laugh from Dark Swan.

Gunslinger turned to face the group. "Now before I let you loose, there are a few more things. You will all find earpieces on your beds. They can be comfortably fit around your ears, and you are required to wear them at all times. If I ever summon you to the briefing area on the top floor, you must stop whatever you're doing and report to me for a team meeting. Aside from that and missions, you are free to do as you please in our area." His eyes narrowed. "And finally: Make no mistake. We are not the Justice League, the Teen Titans, or any sort of social buddy buddy team. We are a government team, created to be used to carry out the will of our leaders and take down the bad guys. We don't have to like each other, we don't have to be nice to each other. All we need to do is tolerate one another enough to accomplish the mission. That mission is simple, and has three parts: Find the missing heroes, save the world from the villains, and find out what exactly the hell is going on. So if you have any delusions that this is going to be fun or that we're going to become some kind of messed up family, I'm going to put those delusions down now. If all goes well, we'll get the mission accomplished and you can all go back to doing whatever the hell you did before this." He went silent, waiting for any questions. Instead all he received were bored stares. "Dismissed. Your rooms are in the level below this one."

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The level below was a single long hallway, with nine doors along it, four on each side and Gunslinger's room on the end. To ensure privacy there was a key card sitting on top of the locks of each door, each hero's name on a plate over their door.

Shadow and Majutsu walked to their rooms at the end of the hallway, closest to Gunslinger's. They were across from each other, and before Majutsu walked into her room Shadow flashed her a smile. "Hey, if you need anything knock on my or Gunslinger's door, 'kay?"

She smiled back and nodded, curtsying before opening her door and walking in. Her room was modeled after a Japanese meditation chamber, the walls decorated with various signs of the Japanese language. Along the back wall, her bed was a circle with a soft mattress and feather pillows. There was a straw mat in the center of the floor, and a table with jars of incense sat along the right wall next to a book case. Majutsu walked over to the left wall where a dresser and mirror sat, and next to that was a tea pot and, to her surprise, a package of her favorite tea, with a note from Whispering Shadow welcoming her. She smiled, picking up a teabag. She would not mask her disapproval of the treatment of the others, but she had a feeling she wouldn't feel as far from home here as she thought.

"I can sense your conflict." Came a voice. "I believe you made the right decision, Hinoka."

Majutsu turned to see a glowing aura floating in the center of the room. "I hope so, Izanagi. I am still unsure if I was wise in leaving Japan vulnerable."

"This is bigger than Japan, my pupil." The divinity responded. "You have the chance to assist in saving the whole planet."

Majutsu smiled. "That is true." She bowed to her patron God. "I apologize for my hesitation, Izanagi."

"No need for that." It replied with amusement. "It is to be expected, especially in such an unusual situation."

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Poltergeist opened his door to a white room. His bed was small, but looked comfortable enough. He grinned as he saw a computer along the left wall, and a bookshelf with various physics and technological texts and books lining it. There was a desk for work along the right wall. He plopped down on the bed, inhaling and breathing back out, relaxed. As far as prisons went, he's certainly been in worse. The walls had Imagine Dragons posters, and there was a radio with an Imagine Dragons CD on his nightstand. He popped this in, cranking up the volume and lying down as "Demons" played.

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Wolfssenger looked around his room, a mix of awe and anger running through him. On the one hand he was furious that he was being held captive, forced to risk his life for something he had no interest in doing.

But on the other hand, and this was the sad part, this flying prison was nicer than any place he'd ever stayed in. Forget about his crappy apartment back in L.A. That place was crawling with bugs and reeked of things besides him.

This room, however, smelled… well not good, but not bad. Just like cleaning chemicals and metal. But there were no termites or flies or spider web coated bedding, instead there was a feather pillow and a shelf of the comic books he kept in his apartment. They must have found out where he lived and brought his few meager belongings here, because along with the comics he saw his gaming system and the few books he bothered to read.

His iPod was on his bed, along with his ear buds. He put these in, lying down and playing his EDM music. Soon enough he passed out from exhaustion, snores escaping his mouth.

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Ricochet threw her trench coat over a chair, her domino mask over that. Her room was small, a bit smaller than the bedroom in her apartment. The bed was a decent size, fresh sheets. Her wall had a bookshelf with a fair amount of books. She selected one that looked interesting, setting it on the seat of the armchair next to her dresser and vanity.

She pulled her hair out of its ponytail, staring hard at her gunmetal grey eyes in her mirror. She still felt numb, her black and red bodysuit was comfortable and familiar, and yet so foreign. She had sworn so long ago that she'd never try to be a hero again, and yet here she was. Among killers and criminals. _Like me._ She thought bitterly.

She sighed, sitting down in the arm chair and picking up the book. She knew she'd never fall asleep, might as well try and distract herself from her situation with a good story. She tucked her legs up, half paying attention to the words as her mind went through the events of the past three days.

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Dark Swan admired her new room, sighing as she walked slowly over to the small bed, rubbing her arms. How did she get in this situation?

She definitely didn't trust the majority of her new teammates. The dog boy seemed too immature to be here, Poltergeist seemed too mischievous to trust, Venus was a crime boss, and the Reaper and that huge bird of his gave her chills. She groaned, face planting into her pillow. She absentmindedly rubbed the ruby in her ring, then jumped up as she felt Zenoth enter. The man was covered by a flowing red cloak, a hood masking his face. "You let yourself get captured." He said simply.

She scowled. "Noooo, really?" she asked sarcastically.

Zenoth only stood in the corner, his looming figure glaring at her. "You know you can't trust these people. The chances of you getting out of this alive are minimal."

"I know." She snapped. "But I don't exactly have a lot of options." She added, rubbing the surgical scar on the back of her neck.

"Then make some." He growled. "Being held captive like this is unacceptable. You must continue your assassinations."

"Relax, Zenny." She replied, laying down, not failing to notice his shoulders tense at the nickname. "I'm still gonna be offing bad guys."

When he didn't answer, she picked her head up to see that he had vanished. She sighed, looking around at the barren room. Aside from a nightstand and some books, it was pretty much empty. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. Zenoth always left a chill when he left. He was unlike any angel she'd ever heard of, but she rolled with it. He looked out for her.

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Venus stood in her doorway, surveying her room with a bored expression. She wasn't exactly snobby or greedy, but the small room was certainly a step down from her usual abode.

At least they'd made it feel more like home. The walls were painted red, and her bed had a Grecian design, and her nightstand held her bust of Aphrodite and her gold plated gun. A computer and phone lay on a desk along the right wall, and along the left she had a small bookshelf with books. A dresser was next to the door, and after closing the door she shed her dress, setting it over a chair and looked through the dresser for a nightgown as she stood in her undergarments. She selected a white one that matched her creamy skin, making her look like a ghostly goddess as her black hair fell messily over her shoulders. She lay on her bed, glancing at Aphrodite. "My Lady, give me strength." She muttered, holding the pillow over her head.

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Shadow was lucky, she got to design her own room. Animal posters hung on the walls, her bed was a decent size with patterned sheets. A bookshelf held her favorite books, and she had a radio on her nightstand. She lay on her bed, chewing her lip as she contemplated the events of that day. She was on an actual hero team now. With a band of not so heroic heroes.

She sighed, trying to fall asleep. She had carried out countless assassinations and she was only 19. A little effed up, but it was true. So the feeling of nervousness that was wracking her now was new and foreign. And unwelcome. She was grateful that Majutsu and Gunslinger were here, it would be good to have friendly faces. Or rather, one friendly face and a grumpy but familiar face. She giggled at that, closing her eyes. Everything would be all right, they'd save the world and bring back the missing heroes.

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Reaper sat in his dark room, thinking. The walls were black, and his bed was small and fitted with dark sheets. The right wall was one large bookshelf, with everything from detective novels to criminal case files sorted for his leisure. The left wall was lined with a huge bulletin board, thumbtacks provided on the nightstand next to his bed. On the other side of his bed was another table, this one with a crucifix and Bible on it. This had not originally been in the room, nor was radio he had Dust fetch for him.

A flash of green light illuminated the room as Dust flew in, carrying a large briefcase in his claws. He set in on the floor, landing on his master's shoulder as the Reaper knelt down to open it. Inside were all of his latest investigations: Reports, theories, photos, stolen evidence, notes, the works. He grabbed the bin of tacks and went to work pinning these to his board, taking out a spool of red thread and connecting certain photos to papers. By the time he was done the bulletin board was filled with papers and photos, and looked like the work of a crackpot conspiracy theorist. Not that far off, he mused to himself. He knew the real reason he was selected for the team. Just because he hadn't halted his normal "activities", didn't mean he hadn't already started investigating the problem the team had been created to solve.

In the center of the board were photos of various heroes, all of whom had been reported missing. And dead center was the Justice League: Superman's face in the center of it all. Batman was off to the side, various other heroes scattered. He crossed his arms as Dust cawed. "We'll figure it out, don't worry." He rasped, pulling his hood down, his dark eyes glaring through the darkness at the board. "That's what we're here for."

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Gunslinger removed his helmet, throwing it on top of his bed along with his gear and gauntlets, shedding his graphene armor. He pressed a key on his computer, pulling up the profiles.

A heroine.

A ghost.

A markswoman.

An assassin.

A beast.

A shape shifter.

A crime boss.

A serial killer.

And a soldier trying to keep them all in check. He sighed, rubbing his temples as he dimmed the lights in his room, lying down. He had his work cut out for him, but at the moment he needed sleep. He already knew what the first mission would be, and he knew they'd all need their strength tomorrow.

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Next chapter will be the first assignment. Review!


	11. Doom Under the Sea: part one

The airship, though roaring in the air, was silent on the inside. Mack yawned as she tiredly poured herself a cup of coffee, dropping a couple sugar cubes in it. She was the only one awake, as far as she knew.

She turned around, leaning against the black counter as she drank her coffee. She was already in her costume, save for the mask. The trench coat wasn't as heavy as she remembered, oddly enough. She walked over to the couch, switching on the news as she sat down.

"…And now it seems that Booster Gold has gone missing as well." The reporter said. She was standing in front of a ruined building, very clear signs of a battle scarring the area. The lady's trimmed hair and crisp pantsuit was a stark contrast to the dirty and ragged looking citizens of whatever city she was in. "In other news, Star City is still reeling after the recent reveal of the identity of one of their heroes. Mackenzie Murray, aged 35," Mack groaned as her Facebook photo was placed on the screen. It was her, Ollie, and Dinah, all sitting together laughing at a restaurant they went to for their anniversary. They invited Mack to tag along. Sadness overcame her as the reporter droned on.

The elevator opened, and she turned to see Gunslinger walk into the room, busy doing something on the pad attached to his gauntlet. Anger rushed through her, and she turned to glare back at the TV. "I hope you're happy." She growled. "Now I can't go home."

"I'm not the one who jumped out of a building and fell ten stories." He retorted, grabbing an orange from the bowl on the counter. "Your identity would still be intact if you had just come quietly."

"Right. Because who wouldn't go with someone pointing a gun at them without complaint?" She asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "You could have explained yourself."

She smirked as he stayed silent, relishing the small victory of being right. She remembered the news report, and her smirk fell. "Booster Gold is missing too."

He walked over, interested now. "When?"

"I think just a couple hours ago. He was fighting some robot." She answered, watching the screen as the topic turned to politics. Gunslinger raised his gauntlet, typing in Booster Gold's name. "They're dropping like flies." He grumbled, looking through the list. "And only a handful of them are succeeding in capturing any villains."

"Then we need to work fast." Came a growl, and they turned to see Reaper walk in, Dust riding on his shoulder. "When is our first assignment?"

"Waller is putting the details together. She'll call me at noon." Gunslinger answered. "So I would advise you get your two hours of training done now."

"I already have." Reaper responded, taking an apple from the bowl. "I just came up to get some food before heading to the lab."

Gunslinger looked at his gauntlet in disbelief. "It's 6:17, when did you start?

"4:15." He answered, walking back to the elevator. "I've been busy."

"Clearly." Mack muttered as they watched the doors close behind him. She took another sip of her coffee, glancing at Gunslinger as he turned his attention back to his gauntlet and smirking. "Too much screen time is unhealthy."

"Go get your training done." He grumbled, heading over to the table.

She sighed, finishing her coffee with one final long drink and walking over to the elevator.

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Sweat dripped down Dark Swan's forehead as she struggled to maintain her position. She was standing on her hands, on a beam, twenty feet in the air. And so far she had been able to stay still for half an hour.

She glanced at the elevator as Ricochet walked in, followed by Poltergeist, Wolfssenger, and Whispering Shadow. Poltergeist headed for the weights, while Ricochet headed for the combat grid.

Shadow started stretching by the gymnastics area, shooting Swan a smile and getting a strained one in return. "How long have been up there?"

"About half an hour." She responded, her arms trembling. "Going for at least 45 minutes."

"Ah, well hang in there!" she called up. She heard a grunt, and turned to see Wolfssenger grinning at her. "What?"

"I was hoping to try out the sparring ring. Care to go a couple rounds?" She narrowed her eyes at the confident smirk on his face. Then she smiled.

She wordlessly got up, walking over to the ring as Wolfssenger vaulted over the ring, very obviously showing off as he punched the air to hype himself up. She calmly climbed over the netting, standing on one end. The cage over the ring lowered, and Wolfssenger got in a battle stance.

Ricochet cringed, then winced, then flinched as Wolfssenger was thrown against the cage, gasping as the wind was knocked from him. He fell to the floor of the ring, struggling to his feet as Shadow circled him. He growled, cockiness gone. He got down on all fours and launched himself at her, grunting as she swiftly moved to the side, bringing her elbow into his chest. He was flipped over onto his back, but quickly rolled away when she went to pin him. He swiped at her, then swiped again as she dodged his strikes.

Poltergeist was finishing putting on the weights to a dumb bell, looking up to watch the fight. He chuckled as Shadow blocked another attack, grabbing the scruff of his neck and throwing him into the side. Angry now, Wolfssenger got back up, going full offensive. Shadow's confidence drained from her face as he leapt at her, tackling her into the cage wall. She hissed, going low and wrapping her arms around his waist. He raised an eyebrow in confusion, then in fear as he was lifted into the air. Her spine bent backward as she threw him over her head, slamming his head against the floor and twisting his legs. He cried out as she dragged him across the floor, picking him up by his collar and slamming him against the wall.

As the fight dragged on, Ricochet punched in some commands into the combat grid. She stepped onto the black and green platform, and suddenly beams of light created walls and cover areas, which then solidified. Enemies dressed in tactical gear and ski masks appeared, guns appearing in their hand. They immediately opened fire, and Ricochet dove behind a wall as the artificial fire pelted the ground behind her. She closed her eyes, recalling where they'd been standing. She drew a trio of shurikens, throwing them at a wall to her right. She heard electronic zapping sounds, and peeked out to see the artificial enemies disintegrating. Seven were left, and she threw another two shurikens above the heads of another two, which then bounced off the wall and through their heads. She ran out from behind cover, throwing another three directly at the enemies, sending them to the floor as the remaining two enemies opened fire. She dodged their fire, running towards the closest one and drawing her knife. She brought her knee into its gut, turning the knife over in her hand and stabbing it in the neck. She let it fall, sending a roundhouse kick into the remaining enemy's head, her knife a flash of steel as it swiped across its throat. All of them defeated, the walls and covers disappeared, and "7.21 seconds" flashed across the screen above the grid. She grinned in triumph, seeing that she had second place, The Reaper had 7.20 seconds and Gunslinger had 8.54.

She heard a whistle, turning to see Venus looking at her, impressed. "I've never seen anyone move like that." She commented, her violet eyes boring into hers. "It was like watching Hermes."

She grinned at the compliment. "Thank you."

Venus nodded, punching in her own program into the computer. Ricochet let her pass, and walls came up with the covers. Venus stood confidently in the center of the arena as the ten enemies spawned. She waved her hands, and Ricochet's eyes widened as she multiplied, several copies running out from her position and towards the enemies.

Venus drew her golden gun, then paled as the enemies ignored her copies. They all simultaneously opened fire, and Venus went to the ground as she was pelted with the light bullets. The screen flashed red, the walls disappearing as Venus groaned on the ground. "They're not organic beings, they don't have brains to manipulate." Ricochet observed.

"Start it up again." Venus growled. Ricochet hit start, and the enemies reappeared. She flew into action, ducking behind cover before firing a few rounds. Three enemies went down, and she drew a knife, stabbing another one after sneaking up behind it and shooting another. She ducked as one went to bash in her head with the butt of its gun, and she jabbed her knife through its chest. Four were left, and she kicked one to the ground before shooting another two. The one on the ground tried getting to its feet, and she grabbed it, throwing it in front of her as the last one fired at her. It killed its own comrade, and as it disintegrated she shot the last one. She pumped her fist in the air as 12.74 flashed across the screen.

Back in the cage, Shadow had Wolfssenger in a chokehold. He was struggling to get out, wildly clawing at her. She jabbed his throat, and he choked, going limp for a moment. She took his arms, pinning him down. He roared, pupils dilating as he threw her off of him. He went to pin her, instead receiving a boot to the teeth. He fell down, clutching his jaw as she crawled over, straddling him and pinning his arms down. Once again he raised his arms off the ground, head butting her. He grinned as she fell off of him. "I'm ten times stronger than you. You can't pin me."

"Strength doesn't win battles." She retorted, standing up and getting in a stance. "Skill does."

"Sure." He said cockily, dodging as she threw a punch. He swiped his claw at her leg, and she responded by kicking him in the crotch. His eyes crossed, no sound escaping his mouth as he went to his knees in pain. She followed up with a kick to his jaw, sending him to the ground. Once again she straddled him, pinning his arms down. Lightheaded, he struggled to fight back, but failed as the timer reached five seconds. Shadow got off of him, offering her hand. Grumbling, he accepted, brushing himself off and rubbing his jaw. "That hurt."

"It was supposed to." She responded, brushing her blond hair out of her eyes and behind her ear. She smirked. "Maybe if you're nice, I can give you lessons." His eyebrows rose at this, but he said nothing.

Dark Swan hopped off of the balance beam, rotating her arm to get the blood flowing in it again. She glanced over at Poltergeist, who winked at her as he effortlessly raised the barbell, with nearly five hundred pounds of weight on either end.

Gunslinger switched on the security cameras, checking in, and noticing this immediately. He pressed a button on his gauntlet, and after feeling a buzzing in his neck, Poltergeist screamed as the weight dropped on his foot, no longer able to lift the barbell. "Impressive." Gunslinger commented in the intercom. "Now try it without telekinesis."

Poltergeist cursed rapidly under his breath as he clutched his foot, glaring at Swan as she chuckled behind her hand.

Majutsu sat on a mat in the weightlifting area, eyes closed as she stood on one foot, still as a statue. She slowly began to move, fluidly, performing a routine that was trancelike, stretching. Shadow recognized it as a Japanese meditation technique, like yoga.

Poltergeist moved to change the weights, when the intercom crackled to life. "Report to the briefing room." Came Gunslinger's electronic growl. "Immediately."

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Everyone shuffled into the main area of their quarters, grumbling as they sat at the circular table. Reaper came up last, stalking over to his seat and standing over it.

After Gunslinger did a headcount, he pressed a button on the computer in front of his seat. The holographic projector in the center of the table hummed, and projected a globe into the air. "In the past week and a half," Gunslinger started, "cities along the coasts all over the world have been reporting attacks from armored men that, and I quote, 'rose from the sea.' Common belief is that these are Atlanteans."

"I thought we made peace with Atlantis after we helped them with that Civil War?" Ricochet asked.

"We did. And considering that Aquaman's brother was exiled and no one would follow him, it's likely that the King of Atlantis has had a change of heart." Gunslinger replied. "However, it would be unwise to retaliate without being sure. Our mission is to head to the most recently attacked city." He pressed a button, and the globe disappeared and was replaced with a zoomed in shot of Puerto Rico. "San Juan, Puerto Rico. The most recent report, which was just twenty minutes ago, claimed that the attack as still underway. We're already on our way, E.T.A. ten minutes. Our mission is simple: Confirm that the Atlanteans are the ones attacking."

"What about retaking the city?" Majutsu asked.

"They're simply attacking and leaving, not bothering to fortify any places. We believe they're just weakening the surface world, making it more vulnerable to attack." He answered. "Dismissed. The second we arrive we're heading for the beach."

Everyone left the table, each of them heading for their rooms to grab their weapons and gear.

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Seven minutes later, Gunslinger was escorting them to a hangar. Ricochet had her shurikens in the pockets of her coat, her twin Glocks in their holsters inside her coat, throwing knives strapped to various areas of her body, and her combat knife in its sheath on her leg. Venus had her golden pistol in its holster, strapped to her thigh, exposed by the slit in her dress. Swan rubbed the ruby in her ring, twirling her dagger in her hand. The metal grafted into Wolfssenger's nails clinked against the metal floor as he walked, and he was admiring his new twin combat knives. Shadow marched alongside Gunslinger, both in their full gear. This was no stealth or capture mission, they were prepped for full-on combat. Poltergeist's grey armor with its green highlights hugged his muscled body, and he was whistling as he walked, running his hands over his belt, which held an array of throwing knives. Majutsu walked behind Shadow, her white dress silently flapping with her sleeveless arms behind her back as she walked, her red eyes taking in everything she saw. And in the rear was the Reaper, looming over the others with Dust on his shoulder, stoic and cold.

They reached the hangar doors, and as they stopped a voice came over the intercom. "Pulling into Puerto Rican airspace. E.T.A. to drop point two minutes."

A soldier came by with an armload of parachutes. Wolfssenger accepted one, along with Venus, Ricochet, Gunslinger, Poltergeist, and Majutsu. However, Swan, Shadow, and Reaper all declined their chutes. Shrugging, the soldier walked back the way he came, Gunslinger walked forwards and turned to face them all. "We will be landing on the beach and will be engaging any enemies we see. As I said before, this is a confirmation mission primarily, but we just received word there is a group of soldiers who have grouped together in a certain area to try and combine forces to fight back. We will be rescuing them as well."

"So in short, save the soldiers, and kick fish ass." Poltergeist replied, crossing his arms. "Sounds easy enough."

"Don't underestimate the Atlanteans." Ricochet warned.

"Exactly. They're far more technologically advanced than we are, and their soldiers are trained just as hard as the Amazons." Gunslinger added. "If Atlantis is behind this, we have to approach this carefully and with a plan. Poltergeist." He turned to face the hero. "You, Swan, and Shadow will go off to find the soldiers and extract them. The rest of us will engage the enemy on the shoreline. Once we have confirmed their identity, we will be extracted and a counter attack will be planned."

"We have arrived at the drop point." Came the intercom. "All non-essential personnel clear the hangar."

An alarm blared as the workers cleared out, the hangar doors sliding open. Wind roared in their ears, and Venus stepped forward to pale at the drop. "Jesus, how high are we?"

"Four thousand feet." Gunslinger replied. "At seven hundred feet, I will give the order to activate your parachutes. Any sooner and you may veer too far off course. Any later…" he slammed his fist into his palm, making some of the group flinch. "…Splat."

Ricochet glanced at Swan and Reaper, both of whom were standing next to her. "Might wanna reconsider your choice."

"Don't need to." Swan replied, smirking. For a second a black swirl of shadows swirled around her back, before forming into a pair smooth, feathery black wings. Ricochet glanced at Reaper, who simply stared ahead.

Gunslinger turned and stepped to the edge of the hangar. "Move!" he shouted, jumping out. Shadow's arms lengthened, growing feathers until she had wings of her own, following Gunslinger. Reluctantly, the others followed suit, and as the Reaper stepped out, his body seemed to transform into shadows. As he fell, he resembled a bolt of smoke shooting towards the earth, Dust flying down beside him. Swan glided down, following Shadow. Ricochet grimaced against the wind, wrapping a fist around her draw cord. Venus was falling head first, hers and Majutsu's dresses billowing in the wind. The ear piece around each of their ears sounded, and Gunslinger's voice came through. "Count to five and pull the cords. One, two, three, four… pull!" Simultaneously their chutes, shot out of their packs, camouflaged blue on he under side to match the bright sky as they went down, maintaining the low chance of them being spotted.

After a minute they reached the ground, bending their legs to absorb any impact. The smoke that was Reaper slammed into the ground, swirling around in a vortex before reforming into his figure. Swan and Shadow landed beside him, their wings disappearing.

Gunslinger did a quick head count, then motioned for everyone to follow him. He drew an assault rifle, running down the beach, everyone following behind him.

On their right as they ran, the tide calmly washed up against the sand, the day's sky was clear and the air was warm, little to no wind. Beach towels and chairs were scattered around, sand castles lay half built. And no one was around. It may have been serene were it not for their left, the beach houses and buildings burned and destroyed, clear signs of laser fire and explosions. Bullets and guns lay scattered across the boardwalk, along with the bloodied corpses of soldiers and civilians. The sight wrenched their guts, and a newfound determination ran through all of them as they ran.

Gunslinger scanned the area, his HUD trying to locate any possible signs of life or movement. After a minute, he stopped and turned to face the others. They were near a wide road that was lined with shops. "Shadow, Swan, Poltergeist. The transmission we received from the holed up soldiers is 1.6 kilometers down this road. Find them, rescue them, and radio for extraction."

Shadow gave a short salute before taking off down the road, Swan running after her with Poltergeist close behind. After watching them for a moment, Gunslinger motioned for them to start running again.

Reaper was trailing in the back, watching the buildings closely. He slowed to a stop, looking up to see Dust flying high above. "Dust, what do you see?" he asked, his eyes glowing green.

His vision of the others running ahead of him faded away, giving way to Dust's vision of the town below him. He was high above, looking around. He cawed, looking directly at a particular hotel. Near the entrance, Reaper spotted a trio of armored men marching along, seemingly on patrol. His sight returned to the others, who had slowed down to look back at him strangely. "I saw movement near a hotel." He announced, walking towards the boardwalk. "This way."

The others looked to Gunslinger, who nodded and started walking after him. "Your bird?"

"His name is Dust. And yes." He replied, speeding up into a jog. "It was too far away to accurately judge, but the armor they were wearing definitely isn't the kind humans wear."

"Good work." Gunslinger replied, taking the lead and breaking into a sprint. "Now let's catch them before they disappear."

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Gunslinger sat on the rooftop of a souvenir shop across from the hotel. His helmet's eyes had zoomed in, and he could recognize the armor of the people walking around. They were definitely Atlantean.

He scowled, turning to the others. "They're Atlantean. Now, let's try and arrest one of them for questioning."

Venus drew her gun. "What happened to killing them?"

"We'll kill any of them who fight back, but let's try and take at least one of them alive." He replied, looking back at the Atlanteans.

Majutsu stood up. "Hang on, we shouldn't rush into violence. Atlantis has been the ally of the surface world for a while now, there has to be an explanation."

"They're killing innocents and ransacking cities." Ricochet replied. "And so far there's no reports of them taking prisoners. I highly doubt they're willing to talk."

"But we should still try." She argued, crossing her arms. "These aren't mindless beasts, they're people too."

"Yeah well, if they're going to try to kill me, I'm fighting back." Wolfssenger commented, baring his teeth. "Besides, they're right. They're not going to negotiate with us."

As everyone quickly fell into a whispered argument, Reaper's cross necklace began to glow. At the same time, Gunslinger's motion tracker in his gauntlet beeped, and Wolfssenger picked up a strange scent, it smelled like… the ocean.

In the space of a second Reaper spun around, drawing his scythe and decapitating an Atlantean with his laser raised. Gunslinger shot up and got another one into a choke hold, snapping his neck as Wolfssenger dodged a laser shot and tackled another one. Ricochet reacted quickly, drawing her pistols and shooting at the Atlanteans.

Both hers and Gunslinger's shots seemed ineffective, as the armor on the Atlanteans ignored the bullets as they charged forward.

"Everyone duck!" Majutsu shouted. After her team mates complied, she narrowed her eyes, throwing her hands out. "Garudyne!"

The wind around them picked up, and the Atlanteans began to rise in the air, swirling around violently in the miniature tornado, before being thrown off of the rooftop and slamming into the street below. The team flew into action, jumping down into battle.

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Shadow led Swan and Poltergeist to the area Gunslinger had told her to go to. They were going on half an hour since the transmission, so she still had hope that the soldiers were alive. "Look around, they have to be around somewhere."

Poltergeist started lifting debris, moving it around to look for any buried soldiers. Swan leapt to a rooftop with ease, looking around. She rubbed the ruby, grinning when she saw Zenoth appear in front of her. "Any idea where they are?"

"You should be with the others, killing the invaders." He said in a monotone, but she could hear the irritation in his voice. "Not wasting your time trying to find dying soldiers. They must be avenged."

"What is with you lately?" She asked, annoyed. "You've never been so… so… confrontational."

He only stared at her. "Nothing." He finally responded. "They're in the grocery store, over there." He said, pointing at a store down the street. "In the back."

"Thank you." She replied, hopping down. "Guys, this way."

They ran inside the store, following Swan to the back. She pushed open the back storage room doors, then gasped, Shadow's jaw dropping. In front of them stood three Atlantean soldiers, all of whom were executing the soldiers as they tried to stay conscious, despite their wounds inflicted by the invaders.

Poltergeist reached out with his mind and lifted one into the air, throwing her into the cereal aisle. As he ran to fight her, Swan attacked another, surprising the Atlantean when her dagger easily cut through his armor.

Shadow attacked the final one, who raised his spear and fired an energy blast at her. She dodged this, turning one arm into a tiger claw and raising her gun with the other. Her claws scraped across the chest plate, and the Atlantean punched her. She fell onto her back, raising her gun and firing. The bullets bounced off of the armor, and the Atlantean prepared to impale her. She growled, getting to her feet and tackling him into the wall. Her fist hardened into steel, and she drove her fist into his face. The armor cracked, and she punched him again, and again, until she got through the helmet. She tore away the helmet, and underneath was the stone faced Atlantean. Ignoring her punches, he grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the all. His eyes were emotionless, still as a statue as he strangled her. She grit her teeth, getting her feet up and planting them on his chest. She pushed him away, falling to the ground and grabbing her pistol. She tackled him as he tried sitting up, placing the barrel of her gun against his head and firing. The Atlantean fell dead, and she went to her knees, gasping as she struggled to breathe again.

Swan kicked her opponent into the wall, burying her dagger in his gut. Her eyes widened as the Atlantean ignored the dagger in his gut, smacking her into the wall and taking the dagger out, throwing it to the side. Determination in her face, Swan dodged his punch, dancing around him fluidly and gracefully, punching and kicking, doing a cartwheel and kicking him in the face twice with both feet before standing upright again. Again, he seemed to ignore the contact and reach down for her. She grabbed her knife, whipping around and slashing his throat. He simply glared at her as he fell face flat, dying wordlessly.

Poltergeist blocked an energy blast with his shield, retaliating by slamming the Atlantean into a shelf, cereal boxes hitting her head as they fell. She wordlessly got back up, grabbing her gun and firing. Poltergeist phased himself out, the blasts going right through him. He ran forward, thrusting his translucent arm through her chest, then slightly solidifying it as he yanked it back, killing her instantly.

The attackers dead, they regrouped in the back. Shadow was kneeling by a corpse, scowling. "They're all dead." She said bitterly. "Let's rejoin the others.

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Ricochet blocked a strike from one Atlantean and kicked him away, throwing a shuriken at the building wall near her. It bounced off, slicing the throat of her opponent. She turned her attention to the next one beside her, then jumped as a scythe blade protruded from his chest. The Reaper withdrew his weapon, casting a fireball at another. He swiped at the leg of another one, dismembering him. Then he froze as the Atlantean crawled forward, reaching for his gun. "What…" he muttered. He stabbed the Atlantean in the head, and turned to another one. Avoiding a killing blow this time, he swiped his blade across the Atlantean's chest. They ignored the strike, not slowing as they charged forward. He angled his scythe and cut off the arm, muttering to himself as the Atlantean kept coming. He kicked it to the ground, watching as it stood back up with ease.

"Reaper, quit screwing around!" Gunslinger shouted, firing his assault rifle and downing three more Atlanteans. Wolfssenger was running from enemy to enemy, clawing at their throats and throwing them against the walls as he growled. Venus followed behind him, finishing off any that he didn't kill. Her violet eyes flashed, illusions entering the eyes of their foes. The Atlanteans began to attack the air, wildly swiping their weapons and firing in random directions, trying to fight an enemy that wasn't there.

This gave the others an opportunity to attack, Majutsu taking the front. "Agidyne!" Explosions and fireballs flew from her fingertips, incinerating the armor and blowing them back. She averted her eyes as Wolfssenger and Venus ran in, finishing them off with Gunslinger giving them cover fire.

Tired but victorious, they looked around at the dead Atlanteans. They turned to see Shadow walk in with Poltergeist and Swan flanking him. "The soldiers were dead." Shadow reported.

Gunslinger nodded, raising his gauntlet. "Extraction to sector seven."

A few minutes later, as they awaited the chopper, Reaper pulled Poltergeist aside, leading him out of view of Gunslinger and the others. "I need you to do me a favor." He whispered.

 _Okay, this is weird._ "You need me to do you a favor?" He repeated.

"Yes, and you need to do it now." He growled. "See these?" he stepped aside to reveal a pile of five dead Atlanteans behind him. Poltergeist covered his mouth, working not to vomit. "I need you to make them invisible, and help me take them with us."

"Why the fuck would I do something sick like that?!" He whispered harshly. "Is this some kind of sick fetish?"

"I need to perform an autopsy, Cabrón." He whispered back irritably. "There's something wrong here, and I'm going to find out what."

Poltergeist looked again at the bodies, sighing. "Fine."

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That was the longest flight Poltergeist had ever had. It took all his willpower to keep the bodies they had placed in the back invisible, hovering in the air. Reaper kept a watchful eye where he knew them to be, all the way back to the hangar. He inhaled, standing up to leave with the others, when Reaper grabbed his shoulder. "I can take it from here, leave them in the back."

Josh removed his mask and nodded, relieved he didn't have to haul those things all the way back to their sector of the ship. He let the bodies go visible, and the Reaper wrapped them up in the tarp back there with them, then vanished. He teleported.

Gunslinger walked back, grabbing Josh. "Where's Reaper?"

"He uh… said he didn't want to walk, so he teleported." He answered, hopefully convincingly.

Gunslinger sighed, cursing. "Move, we have to get back so I can give my report."

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Once they had returned, Gunslinger moved to the briefing table to begin writing his report. The rest of them relaxed on the couch, Majutsu retreating to her room. Josh lay his head back, intending to take a nap when he felt a sharp pain in his ear. He looked back to see Dust glaring at him. He cawed, then flew back to the elevator. Josh groaned, realizing what was happening. He considered ignoring the bird, but it likely wouldn't leave him alone. He stood up, stretching and walking over.

Once he reached the lab, the doors opened to reveal a stranger waiting for him. He was Latino, well built and jet black hair and a goatee. His eyes were hard and black, and he was frowning. He had a bloody lab coat around him, and rubber gloves. He thrust a fist at Josh, opening it to reveal four small and bloody black bits of metal. "I need you to analyze these."

He did a double take at the voice. "R-Reaper?" he asked incredulously.

He sighed. "Yes, it's me. Now hurry up and analyze these. Lives are at stake."

Reaper failed to explain how this was, but for whatever reason Josh believed him, sighing and looking at them more closely. Each piece was identical, a small black circle about the size of the top of a thumbtack. And each circle had a trio of needles coming out of the back. He frowned, intrigued now as he walked over to a microscope. He peered through it, adjusting it until he saw complicated wiring in the heads of the little gadgets. "Where did you find these?"

"In the Atlanteans. Each of them had one of those implanted in their brain stem." Reaper answered. Josh looked back to see that each of the five Atlanteans laid out on an operating table, dissected. "I left the one in the fifth Atlantean in in case you wanted to look at it."

Josh abandoned the microscope and walked over to the Atlantean that was lying on his stomach. There was an incision in the base of the neck, and leaning in Josh could see the device implanted in the brain stem. He took a pair of tweezers and a scalpel and cut along the edge, seeing that the needles had hair width wires coming out of them. "Did you see the wires?"

"Yes, they retracted as soon as I removed the devices. The wires seemed to go into the thalamus and prefrontal cortex."

Josh narrowed his eyes. "So… then that means…"

Reaper turned around from his own microscope. "Exactly. I've performed a full autopsy on each of them, and those devices are the only explanation I have to explain their behavior."

Josh ran back over to his microscope, looking at the wiring more closely. "If the wires went into the places you described, and if I'm interpreting this tech right… Oh my god…"

Reaper walked over, having abandoned his coat and gloves. Fire surrounded him, until he was once more in his costume. "Grab the devices, we need to show this to Gunslinger."

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"…And that is my recommendation, Director Waller." Gunslinger finished.

"You've done well, all of you." Waller praised, addressing the other heroes who hadn't paid attention to his report. "I'll contact you all tomorrow with your next assignment."

"Thank you, ma'am." The transmission ended, Gunslinger sighing and sitting down.

Then the elevator opened, Reaper and Poltergeist running in. "Don't attack Atlantis!" Poltergeist shouted, startling everybody.

Gunslinger scowled. "I already gave the order, what are you talking about?"

Poltergeist set the devices on the table in front of him as the rest of the team gathered around the table. "We're talking about these, and that the Atlanteans are innocent."

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Review!


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